Game of Silks, a blockchain game that mirrors thoroughbred horseracing, has added Ron Luniewski, a sports, gaming and entertainment veteran, to its executive suite.
Luniewski is coming on as Game of Silks’ President and CEO. He joins the company from the gaming world. Previously, he worked for Xpressbet, helping to grow it from a small regional phone operation with 15 employees to a multi-platform operation with 150 employees, generating more than $300m in annual revenue.
Before that, Luniewski served as CEO of the first legal online horse gambling website, YouBet.com, from 1996 to 2002.
Luniewski said, “Throughout my career, I have looked for ways to employ innovative technology to grow the sport of horse racing, so I was immediately inspired when I came across Game of Silks. Silks is a revolutionary platform that can fundamentally change horse racing by giving a whole new class of fan the ability to participate in this sport.
"Major players in racing, like the New York Racing Association (NYRA), have already hitched their wagon to Game of Silks, having seen its potential. We’re excited to establish additional partnerships with the racing community as we advance.”
Game of Silks recently added Srini Vasan, former DraftKings VP of Engineering, in April as the platform’s CTO. Game of Silks has also secured partnerships and agreements with NYRA, Fox Sports and The Jockey Club.
Dan Nissanoff, CEO and Co-Founder of Game of Silks, said, "With the first Game of Silks racing season in full swing, our business is looking to scale rapidly to new users and showcase what’s possible when you marry the timeless tradition of horse racing with blockchain technology.
"Ron’s experience growing successful companies from start-up status to IPO, adapting and implementing new technology, and his deep industry connections to the global horse racing community are invaluable in any market.”
Game of Silks uses a “blockchain-enabled metaverse and a derivative model to create digital twins of each year’s crop of registered thoroughbred yearlings.
These NFTs track the bloodlines, training progress and racing performance of their real-world counterparts; owners of Silks Horses are rewarded as their real-life counterparts win races and breed offspring.”
