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]
Edward Craven | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996 (age 27–28) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder of online casino Stake.com and live-streaming platform Kick |
Early life
editCraven 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
editPre-Stake
editAfter 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
editIn 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
editLaunched 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] In January 2024, Kick and Stake became the title sponsors of the Sauber F1 Team[17] for the 2024 and 2025 seasons ahead of Audi taking control of the team in 2026.[18]
Controversy
editCraven and Kick have been criticized for platforming racist, homophobic and antisemitic hate speech, including Holocaust denial. According to former staff, racial and homophobic slurs were also part of the office culture at Kick’s Melbourne CBD headquarters.[19][20]
Personal life
editCraven resides in Melbourne. In 2022 he purchased the most expensive house in Toorak, Victoria.[21]
References
edit- ^ Seeto, Tamika (21 June 2024). "Wild details revealed as 28-year-old builds Australia's most expensive home". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Rich Lister accused of encouraging 'incredibly inappropriate' behaviour". Australian Financial Review. 2023-10-12. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ Danckert, Sarah. "The secret Australian origins of the world's biggest crypto casino".
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Drake and crypto betting site Stake officially announce partnership: 'It was inevitable'". USA Today. 4 March 2022.
- ^ "Stake.com: the Aussie gambling minnow that made it big on crypto". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "The secret Australian origins of the world's biggest crypto casino". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 December 2021.
- ^ "No room at the inn for Stake.com crypto billionaires". theaustralian.
- ^ "Alfa Romeo F1 team announce co-title partnership with Stake". Reuters. 27 January 2023.
- ^ "Everton FC - News, pictures and video". The Mirror US. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Stake.com: the Aussie gambling minnow that made it big on crypto". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ Brown, Preezy (2 March 2022). "Drake Partners With Online Platform Stake For Live Betting Event". VIBE. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
- ^ "Top Twitch creator endorses platform connected to crypto gambling site". The Washington Post.
- ^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (2023-03-03). "Twitch's New Streaming Rival Kick Tests Waters of Lighter Moderation". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- ^ "Sauber's new team name unveiled after Alfa Romeo departure". www.formula1.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-22.
- ^ "Audi expands commitment to Formula 1 with 100% takeover of Sauber". www.formula1.com (Press release). Retrieved 2024-03-22.
- ^ Klee, Miles (2023-04-02). "This Streaming Superstar Met Andrew Tate -- And Started Platforming White Supremacists". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ Begley, Patrick (2024-10-25). "Antisemitism, racism and homophobia tolerated on Australian billionaire's site". The Age. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ Bucci, Nino (16 August 2022). "High stakes: the cryptocurrency casino king who bought the most expensive house in Victoria". The Guardian.