Unikrn
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Esports wagering, Entertainment media |
| Founded | November 2014 |
| Founder | Rahul Sood, Karl Flores |
| Headquarters | Miami , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Esports betting, UnikoinGold (discontinued) |
| Owner | Entain (since August 2021) |
| Parent | Entain |
Unikrn Inc. (branded as "Unikrn") operates as an esports wagering and entertainment media enterprise with its main office located in Miami, Florida.
In August 2021, the global betting and interactive entertainment corporation Entain purchased Unikrn, thereby strengthening its foothold in the esports betting sector.
Overview
Established in November 2014 by Rahul Sood and Karl Flores, Unikrn focuses on facilitating real money and token-based bets on competitive gaming tournaments, known as esports. The company designs betting options for esports contests, akin to conventional sports betting, aiming at an expanding worldwide audience interested in online gambling combined with esports entertainment.
History
The inception of Unikrn took place in November 2014 under the leadership of Rahul Sood and Karl Flores.
By 2016, Unikrn had made strategic investments in BIG (Berlin International Gaming), a professional team competing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, as well as in MAINGEAR, a manufacturer of premium gaming PCs.
During the second quarter of 2017, Unikrn acquired LEET, an esports startup based in Las Vegas, and additionally holds ownership of the Indian esports organization DotaProHub.
Unikrn introduced UnikoinGold in November 2017, an ERC-20 cryptocurrency operating on the Ethereum blockchain platform.
In September 2020, following a $31 million unregistered token sale of UnikoinGold conducted in 2019, Unikrn reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The agreement included a $6.1 million payment through a Fair Fund designated for token holders and the discontinuation of UnikoinGold. This resolution came despite internal SEC disagreement regarding whether UnikoinGold qualified as a security; Commissioner Hester M. Peirce dissented, highlighting the absence of fraud accusations against Unikrn and warning against regulatory measures that might hinder innovation.