The Sharps App Inks Landmark Deal With Founding Tribal Sponsor
Image courtesy of The Sharps
Rob McCall had a vision for The Sharps app, and it’s taken a major stride toward fruition.
The Fort Bidwell Indian Community of California has signed a first-of-its-kind deal to become the founding tribal sponsor of The Sharps.
The reservation in Northern California belongs to the Gidutikad Band of Northern Paiutes and is located approximately 400 miles north of San Francisco. McCall is the founder of The Sharps app, which delivers peer-to-peer sports prediction tournaments. Table games, including roulette, blackjack, and baccarat, are also available.
A letter of intent was executed by both parties on Tuesday, and a legislative framework to provide online gaming to the tribe has been drafted.
Behind The Deal
Chris Olearain, director of business development for The Sharps, relocated to Las Vegas to network and help grow the app. Olearain connected with former tribe chairman Bernie Pollard and put him in touch with McCall.
McCall and Pollard met for the first time recently at G2E in Las Vegas. Pollard noted that the small tribe didn’t have any gaming and expressed a desire to be at the forefront of technology.
Tribal and commercial gaming leaders discussed their mission to defeat prediction markets during G2E’s opening session. When it was over, McCall approached the tribal leaders on stage and made his pitch.
“I’ve got a responsible gaming platform,” McCall said. “Let me give you a tool so that you have a place where your community can play safely and keep the money within the tribe’s pockets.”
The message landed, and now the plan is to approach tribes across the country. With his tribe now on board, Pollard looks forward to spreading the word and introducing The Sharps to other sovereign nations.
“This partnership is important to our community because it creates new opportunities for economic growth, employment, and long-term prosperity for our people and future generations,” Pollard said. “Just as importantly, we hope it can serve as a model for other tribes seeking innovative ways to strengthen their economies while preserving their sovereignty, culture, and identity.”
He added, “We are not waiving our sovereignty, and our board is proud to demonstrate what is possible when tribal leadership and strong partnerships come together.”
McCall also met with James Siva, who serves as the elected Vice Chair for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon, California. Siva is also Chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association, a non-profit organization of federally recognized tribal governments. He oversees approximately 50 tribes in the state.
“We had a productive conversation with James Siva,” McCall said. “With Bernie and his tribe fully committed to The Sharps as our founding tribal partner, we feel that conversation will continue and expand in the coming weeks.”
Game Of Skill
With no real precedent for this in tribal online gambling, McCall sees a big opportunity for The Sharps and his partners.
“Because it’s inherently a responsible gaming platform – our biggest tournament’s only $100 – and you could play all week,” McCall said. “They are all in on it. We’re a game of skill. Every player starts with the same chips and competes against other players, not against the house. We never take the other side of a play. What decides the leaderboard is how well you make your picks and manage your bankroll over the whole tournament. One lucky result doesn’t win it.”
McCall also likes the idea of partnering with a smaller tribe to start, because he can relate to how The Sharps app was created. He’s not charging the tribe anything for use of the platform.
“I found a community that’s in a similar situation,” he said. “Some of the big books came to these tribes, and they wanted to partner with them, but they wanted to control it. They wanted them to relinquish their sovereignty. I looked at it like these guys are partners of mine.”
He added, “We’re all partnerships on the revenue side, but in regard to the setup for this initial tribe, they’re a small establishment just like myself. It would do me a lot better to partner with somebody and grow this together from the ground up than me trying to beat up a small tribe for a couple pennies.
“They’re our founding tribal partner, and they’re going to be the ones to represent us to all the other tribes, and they get a piece of every tribe that comes on.”
McCall’s long-term goal is for tribes to have their own custom private leagues and then hold a big tournament for all the sovereign-nation members across the country. His original vision continues to evolve, and it could be a game-changer for tribal gaming.
“This could be something transcendent in regard to the gaming and the native community and making them a player in an industry that traditionally they’ve been alienated from,” he said.
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