The sports betting app Wanna arrives in Brazil. Created by Carson Coffman and Jim Bob Morris, two former professional football players, the app aims to create space for sports lovers to connect, interact and, of course, bet on their favorite teams, rescuing the true spirit social betting.
“Sport is, in essence, a social activity. Bets arose as a consequence of this, stimulated by the preference for certain teams and competitiveness. What we observe, however, is that bets have long since lost the essence and passion of the game, the social aspect has disappeared ”, says Carson Coffman.
“Instead of friends, family, or sports lovers, we started competing against websites and bookmakers in an unfair competition, as they were the only ones creating bets,” adds Coffman. The result of this was the increasing distrust of the bettor, who had no knowledge of who was on the other side of the bet, and the creation of a huge taboo that associates the market with illegal activities.
Committed to changing that reality, Coffman and Morris decided to create Wanna and turn the tide. The first step was to create a system that rescues the essence of sports betting. “We want to bring back the betting experience. Take it out of a mechanical dynamic, focused only on gains – which is the market we know today – and bring back fun and healthy competitiveness, among friends, ”says Carson.
Therefore, in Wanna, users have their own profile, as in a social network, with photo, bio, place for comments, username and full name. “In this way, we encourage people to show who they are, giving the opportunity to whoever is on the other side of the bet to know exactly who they are competing against, whether they are friends, family or a new contact”, he adds. Bets also have chats, which allow users to interact before, during and after the match.
Then, they brought a great innovation to the market: the freedom to create and customize bets. “Instead of offering restricted and limited betting options, we put power in the hands of users, who can create their own bets,” adds Carson.
With this system, the user chooses the sport, match and event, such as Brasileirão or Copa Libertadores. He then defines the type of bet and its specifications, such as number of goals, for example. He can still leave the public bet, or direct it to a specific account, challenging his friends. With the innovative system, a bet can be placed in a matter of seconds.
Finally, in order to become the safest place in the world to bet, Wanna has invested heavily in the security of its operations. “Whenever two people place bets within the platform, they can trust that we have performed all the appropriate security checks so that the bet is guaranteed and the money is paid to the winner,” says Carson.
Focus on Brazil & Expansion
Although Americans, Coffman and Morris had no doubt when choosing the country to launch their platform. “At Wanna, we are very passionate about sports, community and competition. Brazil is a country of people who share these same passions. The Brazilian cheers fervently, celebrates and competes with friends, family and fans of other teams. The culture of Brazil, the people and this love for sport are all that Wanna represents. We want to bring this passion to the app, connecting sports lovers in a unique way and revolutionizing the market we know today, ”says Coffman.
However, ambitious, they do not put barriers in the expansion of Wanna, both in the entrance in new countries, as in the insertion of new modalities of bet. “We created Wanna to become the largest betting platform in the world. This means that we will be launching the application in new countries, and that we will also include new betting modalities, ”adds Coffman.
Soon, users will be able to bet on modalities more common to the betting world, such as horse racing and e-sports, however, they will also bring innovation with unprecedented modalities, such as political debates or reality show results. The possibilities are endless and so is Wanna’s ambition.
Luciana Hendrich, partner at Hendrich Digital Content e Hendrich Advogados is Wanna’s consultant for the Brazilian market and contracts.
