There’s an element of fun to the niche sports Pro League Network (PLN) presented to regulators. But don’t doubt its impact, or PLN’s ability to harvest player attention, writes Cole Rush.
“It’s okay to laugh.”
That’s what Bill Yucatonis, co-founder of PLN tells regulators when he presents niche sports for potential wagering.
“We’re going to talk about mini golf today,” Yucatonis tells them. “It’s okay to laugh.”
With PLN, it’s all fun and games. There’s a serious side, sure – we’re talking about carefully constructed alternative sporting leagues, after all. But Yucatonis and his team don’t shy away from the lightheartedness that permeates PLN sports.
Yucatonis and his partner and co-founder Mike Salvaris concocted PLN almost two years ago. With backgrounds in the gaming and sports industry, they set out to bring “alternative sports” into the mainstream.
“We’ve got 16 leagues in our network and we’re growing,” says Yucatonis. “We look for sports that have some viral components and..