The founders of Sweepmate set out to build a matchday-optimised game that follows every twist of live football, and move beyond what traditional gaming formats have offered.

Sweepmate has launched to positive views and feedback of its games offering that seeks to blend and shake up sports sweepstakes with dynamic elements of pools and fantasy sports.

The British-based start-up has formally rolled out its real-money, pool-based prediction platform on iOS and Android, introducing a weekly game format designed to keep football fans engaged throughout every Premier League matchday.

The product is fully licensed with the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), ensuring compliance with UK gambling laws and consumer protection standards.

Sweepmate positions itself as a modernised sweepstake with tactical gameplay. Players enter weekly “Sprints”, select three Premier League teams and compete for a prize pool generated by total entries.

The platform does not act as a bookmaker, nor does it take betting positions or set odds. Instead it facilitates player-vs-player competition within a regulated pool-based framework.

Each Sprint resets the Premier League table using Sweepmate’s own scoring model, which includes goal difference, goals scored, shots on and off target and disciplinary metrics. Entrants win if their chosen teams finish first, fourth, or last in the weekly table.

The app also allows users to trade teams in real time through “Sweeping”, adding a new layer of matchday strategy. Live data and rolling standings are delivered via Sportradar – interestingly, the Swiss-based sportstech’s leadership expressed interest in the burgeoning predictions markets space in the US in a recent earnings call.

Sweepmate was founded by Lloyd Bidder, an assistant director at a Big Four accountancy firm, and Johnny Barnes, founder of Soho Juice Co. The pair aim to offer UK audiences a more dynamic, matchday-optimised product that captures the twists and turns of live football.

Barnes tells SBC: “The ambition is to fill the void that DraftKings have left with a novel, original game. The format can apply across almost any sport or entertainment event — from the Euros to Eurovision.

“Sweepmate is simple: pick three teams, and if they finish first, fourth or last then you win. No new teams are minted 90 minutes before kick-off, so there’s a great scarcity value, and you can buy or sell teams during the gameweek.”

UK to join prediction markets craze?

Bidder and Barnes emphasise that Sweepmate was deliberately structured to operate transparently within UK gambling rules, offering preview shows, review shows and a concierge service to support users.

The platform’s UK landfall comes after a considerable surge in consumer interest in prediction platforms in the US. Kalshi, Polymarket and others have built up sizeacle customer bases across the country, and online betting market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings have got in on the action, as has Allwyn’s new US asset PrizePicks.

Initial testing has highlighted the volatility of Sweepmate’s weekly scoring structure, with nine different clubs finishing first, nine finishing fourth and eight finishing last across the first 11 gameweeks. Late goals have played a significant role, with nine of the 11 Sprints decided after the 80th minute and two decided by the final match of the round.

Barnes said the unpredictability is part of the product appeal: “Our goal is to keep fans engaged throughout the weekend, whether their team is winning or not. It’s about giving players a reason to stay invested in every result.”

In 2026, Sweepmate plans to expand beyond football, adapting its format to additional sports and entertainment events, including the Euros and Eurovision, as it builds out its product pipeline for UK and international audiences.

Whether or not the predictions platform model will land with British consumers, who are far more used to both bookmakers and betting exchanges than American counterparts, is yet to be seen…..