Dave & Buster’s Betting Games to Begin
Popular Arcade to Start Offering Betting on App
Dave & Buster’s, a wildly popular arcade, sports bar, and restaurant, is about to enter the gambling arena. The company announced on Tuesday it will soon be offering wagering on its games. Instead of making an NBA parlay bet, you could make a wager on some Hot Shots basketball or Skee-Ball. The betting limit hasn’t been announced, but is expected to be relatively small. It will fall under the social wagering category, so it be wagers between friends. The Dave & Buster’s betting games will undoubtedly create a bit more excitement in friendly wagers between friends.
In order to offer Dave & Buster’s betting games, the chain partnered with Lucra. Lucra is one of the gamification software leaders.
“We’re thrilled to work with Lucra to bring this exciting new gaming platform to our customers,” said Senior Vice President of Entertainment and Attractions at Dave & Buster’s Simon Murray. “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 says the average bet size across its platforms is close to $10, but it is different than a sportsbook.
“Real-money gamification involves integrating elements of game design and mechanics into non-gaming activities, often with the addition of real-money contests,” the company states on its website. “While both real-money gamification and sportsbooks involve winning/losing real money, real-money gamification goes beyond traditional sports betting by incorporating game-like elements into various activities. Additionally, Lucra’s “Recreational Games” SDK allows for the ability to compete for real-money on activities that a user participates in themselves.”
Gambling Feature Several Months Out
The Dave & Buster’s betting games are still several months away. It will be done on the chain’s app for loyalty members. Lucra said it offers two products that can be natively integrated into third-party platforms in as fast as two weeks. Dave & Buster’s doesn’t seem to be in quite a hurry. The company announced it saw the gaming activities being a little bit more down the line.
Dave & Buster’s has been around since 1982 and now has 223 locations. The majority of locations are in the United States, although there are several in Canada and Puerto Rico. Of those 223 locations, 164 are branded as Dave & Buster’s. The other 59 are branded under Main Event and also offer bowling, laser tag, hundreds of arcade games, and virtual reality.
Dave & Buster’s slogan is that patrons can “Eat Drink Play and Watch,” all in one spot. They are hopeful the betting aspect will help entice a few more people to visit the chain and partake in the activities.
It’s been a busy time for Dave & Buster’s. The company just announced the hiring of Chief Financial Officer Darin Harper. He will join the Company on June 17, 2024. His previous experience includes being CFO at On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. He was also Principal Accounting Officer at Chuck E. Cheese’s and CFO of World Choice Investments, LLC, a leading operator of large, themed family entertainment attractions.
For Gambling news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
