Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban is part of an investor group that has raised $7M for Unikrn, a Seattle-based eSports company that allows for legal wagering around competitive video game matches and tournaments. Cuban participated in the funding round along with Binary Capital, Advancit Capital, Freelands Group, 500 Startups and Indicator Ventures, among others. Like for other sports, gambling on eSports for now will be largely restricted domestically to Nevada, and overseas markets such as Europe and Asia will be the immediate focus. But the funding into Unikrn is an investment in both the ongoing, meteoric rise of competitive video gaming, and the increased industry focus on more broadly legalizing sports gambling. “Hundreds of companies every year try to get me to invest, whether on 'Shark Tank' or off camera,” Cuban said in a statement. “However, I only put my money and my name on the companies that I feel will be successful, truly advance an industry and have a leadership team that I respect. Unikrn fits all these requirements.”
