Venture capital firm Waterhouse VC recently announced its decision to exercise the investment option in Maincard, a tech company known as the "Shopify of the gambling world," which is revolutionizing the way traditional online gambling platforms are built.
By compressing the complex iGaming deployment process to within 30 minutes, Maincard offers unprecedented ease of entry for emerging operators.
Tom Waterhouse, Chief Investment Officer at Waterhouse VC, pointed out: "The industry currently faces two major pain points—startup costs running into millions of dollars and cumbersome technical compliance processes.
Maincard's solution, much like Shopify simplified e-commerce entrepreneurship, allows operators to focus on user growth rather than underlying development." This investment continues the firm's consistent strategy in the gambling technology track.
Maincard's core advantage lies in its modular architecture. The platform integrates instant access to 15,000 casino games and over 1,000 sports betting markets, along with a compliance suite that meets various jurisdictional regulations, including automated KYC reviews, anti-money laundering monitoring, and a multi-currency payment gateway. Particularly noteworthy is its native support for cryptocurrencies, giving it a head start in the Web3 gambling domain.
Founder Valerii Makovetskii revealed that the new funding will primarily be used for sales team expansion and activating standby customers. Several brands have already quickly launched through its white-label solution, with operators using cryptocurrency settlements accounting for 35%. With the advancement of a $3 million funding round, scaled delivery is expected by the third quarter of 2025.
The emergence of this innovative model coincides with the global online gambling market exhibiting polarized development: on one hand, mature markets continue to raise entry barriers, while on the other, demand in emerging markets such as Latin America and Southeast Asia is surging.
Maincard's "plug-and-play" strategy is likely to reshape the competitive landscape of the industry, enabling regional niche brands to compete on the same stage as major factories.
