Waterhouse VC, an investment fund focused on the technology layer of the global gambling industry, has secured an option in Maincard—a platform dubbed the ‘Shopify of Online Betting’—aiming to enable the launch of fully customizable licensed betting sites in under 30 minutes.
Maincard targets the $1 trillion iGaming market by replacing months of development work, cumbersome licensing, and complex integrations with a subscription-style workflow. Crypto-native founders, influencers, and digital communities can spin up branded betting sites, monetise their audiences, and retain full upside ownership from day one.
“Igaming still suffers from high startup costs and significant technical and regulatory friction,” said Tom Waterhouse, Chief Investment Officer of Waterhouse VC. “We’re seeing strong potential in platforms that can streamline development, similar to how Shopify revolutionised e-commerce. The sector is ripe for innovation that allows new entrants to focus on player acquisition and retention rather than backend development.”
“Waterhouse VC’s deep domain knowledge and network will accelerate our go-to-market,” said Valerii Makovetskii, Founder and CEO of Maincard. “We’ve developed strong technical foundations with our crypto-friendly payments gateway already powering third-party casinos. The next step is to make launching a betting site as easy as launching an online storefront.”
The investment aligns with Waterhouse VC’s approach of identifying promising B2B technology companies serving the wagering industry and negotiating options to acquire stakes in these businesses.
Maincard platform vision:
- Launch in <30 minutes — drag-and-drop, no code required;
- End-to-end compliance — licensing, KYC/AML, fraud, payments, customer support and marketing handled by Maincard;
- 15,000+ casino games & 1,000+ sportsbook markets out of the box.
Maincard is currently raising USD $3M to scale its sales team and launch multiple brands from the waiting list by the end of Q3 2025.
