Nashville FC Makes Wagr Its Official Betting Partner

By Matt Speakman,
Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

Matt Speakman Betting Expert at online-gambling.com

A die-hard fan of the Patriots, Matt Speakman is an expert on everything related to sports betting and DFS sites. Over the years, he has proven a valuable asset for our team at online-gambling.com. You can find Speakman's professional tips and tricks in any of his many articles on the website.

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Last updated: May 18, 2022

One of the biggest challenges an operator would face while entering the sports wagering market in the US is differentiating a sportsbook product. As a result of this challenge, Mario Malavé and Wagr’s sportsbook promotion is significantly ahead of the curve on the Tennessee sports betting scene.

Wagr remains one of the nine sportsbooks presently carrying out operations in Nashville, and it is the only one that is peer-focused. It does not operate as a standard book; you can say it is a social sportsbook that connects two friends wanting to bet on an event.

The transaction fee Wagr charges is 5 per cent of the bets placed, compared to the usual 10 per cent vig other sportsbooks take for making use of their betting lines.

What the Partnership between Wagr and Nashville FC Is All About

Wagr received a huge signal boost as Nashville SC’s official betting partner a few days ago. Nashville SC, an MLS team located in Nashville, Tennessee, also opened its new soccer stadium GEODIS a while ago.

Having once turned Nissan Stadium into a loud and noisy atmosphere, the city immediately took over the MLS club. The raucous atmosphere at the Nissan Stadium in the regular season in 2021 contributed to the team going unbeaten at home – eight wins and nine draws.

While finishing touches were being made to GEODIS, the 30,000-seat stadium, the team began this season with eight matches on the road, raking 11 points from the matches. The new stadium is the largest soccer-specific stadium in Canada and the United States.

Also, the team added Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans running back, and actress Reese Witherspoon to its ownership group before their first home game against Philadelphia Union. Wagr will play a prominent role in the opening ceremony, providing two activation areas for people keen on making wagers.

A Community-Focused Project Using Soccer

When speaking with Malavé, who has worked in the analytics department of Los Angeles FC, it is clear that Wagr’s primary driving force is the community aspect.

Malavé, a native of Venezuela and a passionate futbol fan, admitted that he has never been a fan of the traditional sports betting landscape. He intends to make Wagr a marketplace differentiator for long-term sustainability.

Given Malavé’s and Eliana Eskanazi’s (co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Wagr) respective backgrounds in startups, the constant presence of a community thread is not surprising. The two co-founded Wagr in 2019 while at Harvard Business School.

Responsible Gambling for a Better Community

As part of the announcement in 2021 that was accompanied by the seed funding, Malavé wrote,

“We want to see you brag when you see yourself at the top of the leaderboard and poke fun at yourself when you are at the bottom. Most importantly, we want you to do all of that without ever jeopardizing your safety.”

Malavé notes the need to add a social component to Wagr’s evolving UI. Even though there are engineers for that, Malavé wants the primary advances to stem from Wagr’s users.