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Dylan Robbins, Founder & CEOCurrently, numerous companies are yearning for new ways to monetize, engage and retain their users. This problem resonates across the recreational games and professional sports categories, with app and platform providers struggling to find newer ways to prolong consumer usage. Lucra’s innovative solution bridges the gap with its unmatched flexibility, which enables it to support a diverse clientele, including entertainment venues, consumer technology platforms, professional sports leagues, media networks and B2B ecosystems. In fact, its white-label gamification software can be directly integrated into existing apps and platforms, enabling businesses to enhance user adoption, improve customer acquisition and boost retention rates. And it can be done in as fast as a week!
“We aim to disrupt the way people compete, changing the mindset of the casual sports fan by creating a safe and trustworthy experience for people to challenge their friends on platforms they already know and love,” says Dylan Robbins, founder and CEO.
Beyond its unmatched flexibility and integration, Lucra’s gamification technology prioritizes accessibility and inclusivity. It facilitates real-money contests and provides options for cash alternatives such as points and tangible rewards like prized jerseys. This unique feature is a testament to Lucra’s emphasis on breaking down barriers and destigmatizing the idea of cash-based competition, which, in turn, boosts its adoption across a clientele seeking broader audiences.
A Portfolio of Value-Adding Modules
Lucra offers a user-friendly and customizable platform through its SDK, which is offered in different modules—each designed to empower clients with the choice to tailor the platform with the best-suited features and functionalities. A notable capability is one-on-one contests, where users can challenge each other directly within the app. Another popular module offers team-based competitions, enabling them to team up with friends for collaborative gameplay across various activities like golf, board games or video games.
Providing users with a comprehensive overview of performance and standing within their social circle, Lucra's SDK features leaderboards and head-to-head stats. It also promotes spirited banter and improves user interaction through the fun-to-use smack talk feature.
We are a marketplace for friendly contests between users, where you challenge a friend, not the house or a bookie. one could argue we are the friendly alternative to the big betting operators
Regarding financial transactions, Lucra's platform supports seamless fund management, allowing users to add or withdraw funds using various payment methods, including bank transfers, credit cards, PayPal and Venmo. Prioritizing end-to-end security and compliance, it equips clients with a robust risk management toolkit. By doing this, it takes responsibility for mitigating client risks, maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements and handling anti-money laundering practices, which is critical for customers who may lack the expertise or resources to handle these aspects in-house.
Above all, it reduces the risk of regulatory breaches or financial loss due to fraud or non-compliance, ultimately protecting the interests of platform operators and their users.
Integrating comprehensive risk management features into the SDK enables Lucra to safeguard clients against legal and financial risks and promote user safety, trust and satisfaction, contributing to the platform's and its partners' long-term success.
Combining a Singular Passion
One of Lucra's standout features is its rapid implementation process, which typically takes one to three weeks. This swift turnaround minimizes the time and resources required from clients and translates to high margins.
Equally impressive is its team of dedicated individuals who continually drive innovation and excellence in gamification. United by a shared passion for friendly competition and a relentless work ethic, its team of 14 members based in the U.S. and a talented group of seven engineers in South America seamlessly operate across borders.
Led by Robbins, along with COO Michael Madding and CTO Edward Psyk, the leadership team sets the tone for a culture of camaraderie, competition and fun. Thriving on the principles of hard work, hustle and an appetite for pushing boundaries, it harbors a collaborative and supportive environment where each member brings their unique talents and perspectives. Mirroring the essence of the technology they develop, Lucra’s workforce is characterized by a spirit of competitiveness and a shared love for games.
Another key figure at its helm is the director of product, Jordan Haburcak, who guides Lucra’s highly efficient implementations team in ensuring seamless client onboarding experiences. The process begins with a comprehensive demonstration of the product, followed by detailed documentation and ongoing support to ensure clients have assistance at every step. Facilitating a smooth and expedited deployment, the team improves efficiency and client satisfaction by conducting whiteboarding sessions and developing prototypes tailored to their needs. The turnkey and repeatable nature of the solution also streamlines the integration of add-on modules, delivering value to clients while optimizing internal operations.
Tapping into Unrealized Potentials
Lucra was built by best friends Robbins and Madding—Stanford Graduate School of Business students and former Goldman Sachs employees, who wanted to track their friendly side bets. From Saturday morning golf rounds to NFL Sunday couch hangouts, the duo needed a way to settle the score. They wanted complete control over their bets, instant settlement and a lifelong scoreboard so they knew who had ultimate bragging rights. Nothing in the market offered all this, so they set out to build a friendly competition platform. They have since expanded the business into a service provider of social gamification technology for consumer platforms.
“We are a marketplace for friendly contests between users, where you challenge a friend, not the house or a bookie. One could argue we are the friendly alternative to the big betting operators,” says Madding.
After running a successful direct-to-consumer product for several years, with 100K+ customers, 1M+ contests and a $20M+ volume, the duo realized there was a bigger opportunity if Lucra’s gamification tech could directly be embedded into existing sports communities and established platforms.
A strong example of its impact is Lucra’s partnership with Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), the most accurate and only global rating system in pickleball. Despite the sport's popularity, many of the hundreds of millions wagered annually remain untapped within offline networks.
Lucra's gamification technology changes this narrative by integrating into DUPR's ecosystem and allowing users to challenge each other directly within the app. This eliminates the need for cash transactions or third-party platforms and unlocks new revenue streams while fostering a more engaging and interactive user experience.
Taking it a step further, Lucra's platform addresses the challenge of user retention by incentivizing continued participation through real-money contests. With stakes on the line, users are more likely to remain active within the ecosystem, driving longer sessions and repeat visits.
Combining a Singular Passion
One of Lucra's standout features is its rapid implementation process, which typically takes one to three weeks. This swift turnaround minimizes the time and resources required from clients and translates to high margins.
Equally impressive is its team of dedicated individuals who continually drive innovation and excellence in gamification. United by a shared passion for friendly competition and a relentless work ethic, its team of 14 members based in the U.S. and a talented group of seven engineers in South America seamlessly operate across borders.
Led by Robbins, along with COO Michael Madding and CTO Edward Psyk, the leadership team sets the tone for a culture of camaraderie, competition and fun. Thriving on the principles of hard work, hustle and an appetite for pushing boundaries, it harbors a collaborative and supportive environment where each member brings their unique talents and perspectives. Mirroring the essence of the technology they develop, Lucra’s workforce is characterized by a spirit of competitiveness and a shared love for games.
Another key figure at its helm is the director of product, Jordan Haburcak, who guides Lucra’s highly efficient implementations team in ensuring seamless client onboarding experiences. The process begins with a comprehensive demonstration of the product, followed by detailed documentation and ongoing support to ensure clients have assistance at every step. Facilitating a smooth and expedited deployment, the team improves efficiency and client satisfaction by conducting whiteboarding sessions and developing prototypes tailored to their needs. The turnkey and repeatable nature of the solution also streamlines the integration of add-on modules, delivering value to clients while optimizing internal operations.
Tapping into Unrealized Potentials
Lucra was built by best friends Robbins and Madding—Stanford Graduate School of Business students and former Goldman Sachs employees, who wanted to track their friendly side bets. From Saturday morning golf rounds to NFL Sunday couch hangouts, the duo needed a way to settle the score. They wanted complete control over their bets, instant settlement and a lifelong scoreboard so they knew who had ultimate bragging rights. Nothing in the market offered all this, so they set out to build a friendly competition platform. They have since expanded the business into a service provider of social gamification technology for consumer platforms.
“We are a marketplace for friendly contests between users, where you challenge a friend, not the house or a bookie. One could argue we are the friendly alternative to the big betting operators,” says Madding.
After running a successful direct-to-consumer product for several years, with 100K+ customers, 1M+ contests and a $20M+ volume, the duo realized there was a bigger opportunity if Lucra’s gamification tech could directly be embedded into existing sports communities and established platforms.
A strong example of its impact is Lucra’s partnership with Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), the most accurate and only global rating system in pickleball. Despite the sport's popularity, many of the hundreds of millions wagered annually remain untapped within offline networks.
Lucra's gamification technology changes this narrative by integrating into DUPR's ecosystem and allowing users to challenge each other directly within the app. This eliminates the need for cash transactions or third-party platforms and unlocks new revenue streams while fostering a more engaging and interactive user experience.
Taking it a step further, Lucra's platform addresses the challenge of user retention by incentivizing continued participation through real-money contests. With stakes on the line, users are more likely to remain active within the ecosystem, driving longer sessions and repeat visits.
More than Just a Game
A recent collaboration set to expand Lucra’s horizon involves TennisONE, a premier destination for tennis enthusiasts seeking scores, highlights and comprehensive coverage of the sport. Currently in beta testing, the project was ignited by the growing demand for interactive experiences. The integration of its innovative gamification engine is poised to propel TennisONE’s mobile platform to new heights, allowing fans to challenge each other to real-money contests on Association of Tennis Professionals, Women’s Tennis Association and Grand Slam tournaments.
Early feedback indicates a positive response, with users expressing heightened engagement and enjoyment, highlighting Lucra's mission to bring innovative gamification experiences to sports enthusiasts worldwide. Another key plan is to launch the offerings in operating systems beyond iOS and Android. This move will provide desktop and mobile web users accessibility to its trailblazing gamification SDK, enhancing the overall user experience and cross-platform applications.
The Game Within The Game: Lucra and Dave & Buster’s Blockbuster Deal
In late April, Lucra announced a deal with Dave and Buster’s that made headlines nationwide.
The new strategic partnership integrates Lucra’s proprietary gamification software into the Dave & Buster’s mobile app, allowing loyalty members to digitally compete with each other, earn rewards, and unlock exclusive perks while competing with friends at Dave & Buster’s – bringing together the sports arena and the arcade for an unparalleled, gamified experience.
“We’re thrilled to work with Lucra to bring this exciting new gaming platform to our customers,” said Simon Murray, SVP of Entertainment and Attractions at Dave and Buster’s. “This new partnership gives our loyalty members real-time, unrivaled gaming experiences, and reinforces our commitment to continuing to elevate our customer experience through innovative, cutting-edge technology.”
Lucra’s value prop to Partners is that it helps
(1) Attract: drive traffic to a platform or place
(2) Engage: keep customers longer inside the ecosystem
(3) Monetize: unlock revenue streams and offer rewards
Lucra does so all while providing the rich analytics and insights from our performance dashboard, so Partners can better understand their customers, their preferences, and their spending habits.
The launch with Dave and Buster’s is set for “the coming months” and will allow 18+ customers to compete on various recreational activities.
What’s Next
Lucra is dedicated to enhancing its existing offering with new features and formats, such as the introduction of brackets, pools and other multiplayer formats. Alongside these rollouts, it is adding non-real-money games to its platform, such as free-to-play options or handshake contests that allow users to engage in friendly competition without monetary stakes.
Wanting to expand its friendly competition experience globally, Lucra is exploring expansion opportunities, starting with the UK market, where COO Madding is based. By partnering with brands in the new geography, it aims to establish a presence and tap into fresh markets to unlock new possibilities for growth and collaboration. As Lucra continues to forge new partnerships and extend its reach, it remains committed to delivering value, excitement and camaraderie through its pioneering technology.
A recent collaboration set to expand Lucra’s horizon involves TennisONE, a premier destination for tennis enthusiasts seeking scores, highlights and comprehensive coverage of the sport. Currently in beta testing, the project was ignited by the growing demand for interactive experiences. The integration of its innovative gamification engine is poised to propel TennisONE’s mobile platform to new heights, allowing fans to challenge each other to real-money contests on Association of Tennis Professionals, Women’s Tennis Association and Grand Slam tournaments.
Early feedback indicates a positive response, with users expressing heightened engagement and enjoyment, highlighting Lucra's mission to bring innovative gamification experiences to sports enthusiasts worldwide. Another key plan is to launch the offerings in operating systems beyond iOS and Android. This move will provide desktop and mobile web users accessibility to its trailblazing gamification SDK, enhancing the overall user experience and cross-platform applications.
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We aim to disrupt the way people compete, changing the mindset of the casual sports fan by creating a safe and trustworthy experience for people to challenge their friends inside platforms they already know and love
The Game Within The Game: Lucra and Dave & Buster’s Blockbuster Deal
In late April, Lucra announced a deal with Dave and Buster’s that made headlines nationwide.
The new strategic partnership integrates Lucra’s proprietary gamification software into the Dave & Buster’s mobile app, allowing loyalty members to digitally compete with each other, earn rewards, and unlock exclusive perks while competing with friends at Dave & Buster’s – bringing together the sports arena and the arcade for an unparalleled, gamified experience. “We’re thrilled to work with Lucra to bring this exciting new gaming platform to our customers,” said Simon Murray, SVP of Entertainment and Attractions at Dave and Buster’s. “This new partnership gives our loyalty members real-time, unrivaled gaming experiences, and reinforces our commitment to continuing to elevate our customer experience through innovative, cutting-edge technology.”
Lucra’s value prop to Partners is that it helps
(1) Attract: drive traffic to a platform or place
(2) Engage: keep customers longer inside the ecosystem
(3) Monetize: unlock revenue streams and offer rewards
Lucra does so all while providing the rich analytics and insights from our performance dashboard, so Partners can better understand their customers, their preferences, and their spending habits.
The launch with Dave and Buster’s is set for “the coming months” and will allow 18+ customers to compete on various recreational activities.
What’s Next
Lucra is dedicated to enhancing its existing offering with new features and formats, such as the introduction of brackets, pools and other multiplayer formats. Alongside these rollouts, it is adding non-real-money games to its platform, such as free-to-play options or handshake contests that allow users to engage in friendly competition without monetary stakes.
Wanting to expand its friendly competition experience globally, Lucra is exploring expansion opportunities, starting with the UK market, where COO Madding is based. By partnering with brands in the new geography, it aims to establish a presence and tap into fresh markets to unlock new possibilities for growth and collaboration. As Lucra continues to forge new partnerships and extend its reach, it remains committed to delivering value, excitement and camaraderie through its pioneering technology.
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