Evenplay, a Las Vegas-based venture, is bringing traditional golf competitions to the virtual landscape of simulator golf with a twist. Unlike other operators in this space, Evenplay allows individuals to play against the house, offering a handicapping system with odds and challenges that adjust based on the player’s performance and skill level. The company has gained approval from state gaming commissions by establishing its challenges as skill-based games, similar to daily fantasy sports, and currently operates in six states with plans for further expansion.
The CEO and co-founder of Evenplay, Bryan O’Reilly, saw an opportunity to combine money games with alt-golf settings after consulting for Topgolf and recognizing the industry’s shift towards tech-infused forms of the game. Teaming up with tech-savvy entrepreneur Sameer Gupta, O’Reilly developed a unique gaming vertical that uses artificial intelligence to assess players’ skills and generate challenges accordingly. Players have the option to play for money against the house, with targets changing from shot to shot.
Despite the promising market for off-course golf experiences and the rise of legalized gambling, creating a successful business around cash money games in the golf-simulator space presents its challenges. Evenplay has found support from investors like EP Golf Ventures, a partnership between the PGA of America and Elysian Park Ventures, pushing its total money raised to over $10 million. As the company looks to expand into the U.S. home-simulator market and potentially overseas, it also sees opportunities for its technology in other sports like bowling.
Evenplay operates in commercial establishments in the six approved states, with plans for future growth and development in the golf industry and beyond. The company aims to offer unique experiences for golfers, including the potential for gamified instruction on simulators. While the success of a concept like Evenplay remains uncertain, its innovative approach to combining traditional golf competitions with virtual settings has attracted attention and investment from various sources in the industry. Time will tell if Evenplay’s gamble on simulator golf with money on the line pays off.
