Ed Craven

Edward Craven
Born1996 (age 28–29)
NationalityAustralian
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCo-founder of online casino Stake.com and live-streaming platform Kick

Edward Craven (born 1996) is an Australian billionaire.[1] He is primarily known for co-founding the online casino Stake.com and the live-streaming platform Kick.[2][3][4]

Early life

Craven was born in 1996. His father, Jamie Craven, was banned from working in the financial services industry and jailed for 6 months in the 1980s over the collapse of investment company Spedley Securities.[5][6]

Craven plays online games and livestreams his gameplay on Kick. He has streamed alongside celebrities including Drake.[7]

Career

Pre-Stake

After experimenting together with Bijan Tehrani with virtual gambling in RuneScape, Craven and Tehrani created Primedice, a cryptocurrency-based online dice game in 2013.[8] In 2016, they launched Easygo, a company specializing in online casino games.[9]

Stake.com

In 2017 the Stake.com brand debuted, operating through a license in Curaçao. The company maintains offices in Serbia, Australia, and Cyprus. It became one of the world's largest gambling companies.[10]

Stake.com expanded to the UK in December 2021 through a partnership with TGP Europe. It serves as the main shirt sponsor for Everton FC and Watford FC, and also backs the Sauber Formula One team.[11][12]

From 2022, Canadian musician Drake was paid $100 million annually to endorse Stake on social media.[13][14]

Kick

Main article: Kick (service)

Launched in 2022 by Craven and his business partner, Bijan Tehrani, Kick is intended to compete with Amazon's Twitch as an online live-streaming platform.[15] The platform provides an alternative to the popular streaming service Twitch, as it provides a 95-5% split of revenues to content creators.[16]

Kick's sponsorships include the Alfa Romeo F1 Team and Everton Football Club.[4]

Personal life

Craven resides in Melbourne. In 2022 he purchased the most expensive house in Toorak, Victoria.[17]

References

  1. ^ Seeto, Tamika (21 June 2024). "Wild details revealed as 28-year-old builds Australia's most expensive home". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  2. ^ Begley, Patrick (2024-02-21). "The private chat messages from inside an Australian billionaire's 'money machine'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  3. ^ Bucci, Nino (2022-08-16). "High stakes: the cryptocurrency casino king who bought the most expensive house in Victoria". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  4. ^ a b "Rich Lister accused of encouraging 'incredibly inappropriate' behaviour". Australian Financial Review. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  5. ^ Danckert, Sarah. "The secret Australian origins of the world's biggest crypto casino".
  6. ^ Macken, Lucy (10 April 2024). "Crypto casino billionaire Ed Craven's dad buys trophy beach house for $16m cash". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Drake and crypto betting site Stake officially announce partnership: 'It was inevitable'". USA Today. 4 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Stake.com: the Aussie gambling minnow that made it big on crypto". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  9. ^ "The secret Australian origins of the world's biggest crypto casino". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 December 2021.
  10. ^ "No room at the inn for Stake.com crypto billionaires". theaustralian.
  11. ^ "Alfa Romeo F1 team announce co-title partnership with Stake". Reuters. 27 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Everton FC - News, pictures and video". The Mirror US. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  13. ^ "Stake.com: the Aussie gambling minnow that made it big on crypto". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  14. ^ Brown, Preezy (2 March 2022). "Drake Partners With Online Platform Stake For Live Betting Event". VIBE. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Top Twitch creator endorses platform connected to crypto gambling site". The Washington Post.
  16. ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (2023-03-03). "Twitch's New Streaming Rival Kick Tests Waters of Lighter Moderation". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  17. ^ Bucci, Nino (16 August 2022). "High stakes: the cryptocurrency casino king who bought the most expensive house in Victoria". The Guardian.