Adam Shaw is stepping into the burgeoning UK prize draw market with The Big Leagues, targeting sports enthusiasts with a multi-sport platform. The Big Leagues officially launched last week after securing £500,000 ($662,077) in seed funding.
The platform combines paid prize draw entries for unique sports-related items with free-to-play prediction games. Shaw, who previously held significant roles at Flutter Entertainment and Superbet, sees this as a niche opportunity amidst the increasing popularity of prize draws in the UK.
"I wanted to find something in the UK that I thought was growing and that I thought had meaningful consumer demand behind it," Shaw stated. He observed the market closely and determined that prize draws presented a compelling area of growth.
With competition intensifying in the UK prize draw sector, which Rokker consultancy reported to be worth £1.3 billion a year with over 400 operators, Shaw aims to carve out a distinct space for The Big Leagues that spans multiple sports.
"Having come out of sports betting, I know that most people are interested in more than one sport. If you’ve got one website where you’re able to win prizes across all those different things, it’s just going to be somewhere that people want to go," he explained.
The Big Leagues is focusing on offering premium experiences rather than traditional merchandise prizes. Shaw emphasized, "It’s more aspirational than some of the sites out there are currently running. We’re offering proper bucket list stuff for people. A trip to the Masters, Champions League hospitality, and a box at Cheltenham [Festival] for you and your mates are things that are really worth winning.
Shaw aims to use free-to-play prediction games to build a player base, leveraging insights from his background in betting. He noted, "The free-to-play part of it, I’ve kind of learned that playbook from gambling. I know that it works, and it’s something we’ve got that’s totally differentiated against anyone else in the prize draw sector."
As part of The Big Leagues' launch, Shaw stated they are "actively seeking" partnerships with brands, sports organizations, and charities, as well as engaging content creators and influencers to expand their reach.
Shaw is determined to position The Big Leagues as the leading sports prize draw platform in the UK, stating, "I’d love it to be the number one sports prize draw website. We need to overtake all of the people that are doing it well in their individual sports." He envisions creating a large community around their free-to-play games, aiming to establish The Big Leagues as a household name that offers a mass-market alternative to traditional gambling options.
The prize draw sector is under scrutiny as its popularity grows, sparking discussions around regulation. Recent reports indicate that less than 20% of active operators have subscribed to the Voluntary Code of Good Practice for prize draws launched last year.
The Big Leagues has committed to following this code and is a participant in the newly formed Prize Competition Council. Shaw insists that The Big Leagues is compliant, stating, "We’ve taken the highest path that we can from a regulatory perspective as it stands today in the UK." He supports clear regulations in the sector, emphasizing the need for sensible measures without overregulating, as observed in the traditional gambling industry. "There’s clearly demand for this thing, so having some sensible regulation would be great," he added.
Shaw's vision for The Big Leagues combines aspiration with innovation, hoping to strike a balance that attracts sports fans while adhering to a developing regulatory framework.
