PickGuru, the new sportstech start-up that aims to bridge real-money wagering engagements with live sports, has secured its UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence, whilst also confirming its enterprise CEO. 

Self-branded as a ‘social gaming disruptor’, the PickGuru platform – which aims to allow ‘friends and fans to challenge and compete with each other in a wide range of live and engaging sports prediction games’ – has been granted its UKGC licence.

The start-up clears a critical regulatory hurdle in its mission to revolutionise the interaction between real-money wagering and live sports audiences.

The launch of PickGuru is widely anticipated, as the venture sees former Stats Perform and DAZN Co-Founder Oliver Slipper return to betting circles, on a mission to ‘crack live sports gaming conundrum’.

Sportstech heavyweights Paul Cobley – the ex founder of Matulo Software – and former Sportsquake and Stats Perform financial lead Paul Watkins, have joined Slipper’s venture as its respective CTO and COO.

“Securing a UKGC licence marks a significant step in the company’s history. We’re excited to bring our platform to market in early 2022,” Watkins disclosed on PickGuru’s early developments.

“Our platform incorporates a number of elements around gaming, social interaction and betting.

“We really try to emphasise the skill aspect of our games whilst keeping a firm eye on responsibility. We’re really excited to welcome users onboard and we’re confident they will love the experience.”

Further to its licence approval, PickGuru disclosed that former TikTok executive Olly Roland-Jones will lead its enterprise as CEO.

An expert in sports media and gaming, prior to leading TikTok’s brand partnerships for sport, Roland-Jones was the co-founder of the OnSport media network and a General Manager of sports game studio Clever Games.

Oliver Slipper, Chairman and Co-Founder of PickGuru, said: “We can move to the next phase on our journey after securing our UKGC licence and closing our £2.6m seed round last month. I’m delighted to welcome Olly Roland-Jones to lead the business as our CEO. Olly brings a wealth of experience in both fantasy games and social media, which we feel will be vital to the success of this business”. 

Roland-Jones commented on joining PickGuru: “When Oliver Slipper first approached me about the concept of PickGuru I was instantly drawn to the unique opportunity. It will be a game-changer and I’m excited to work with the team to bring the idea to life and lead the business into 2022 and beyond.”