Jonathan Stern

In the building: Game 1 of the NBA Finals

  1. DraftKings is a full 3 seconds behind while updating in-game odds. Which means bettors who are at the game have a massive edge. Perhaps DraftKings doesnā€™t care too much because not enough people are there for it to matter. But I suspect someone will figure out how to capitalize in a big way. Maybe to the point that it meaningfully impacts DraftKings' balance sheet.

  2. I've never been more sold on my app idea ā€œSeat Statusā€. Seat Status allows people at the game to send photos to an app and tag people sitting courtside. Last night I was in the upper bowl - fantastic angle on the game, but I couldnā€™t quite make out who was sitting on the floor. One guy looked like North End restauranteur Frank Depasquale. Was it him? Iā€™ll never know. Where was Mark Wahlberg seated? Would be cool to open up an app and find out.

  3. Tickets - for all the new companies that have popped up in recent years (TickPick, Gametime, etc.) I think thereā€™s still opportunity. A no-fee high trust P2P system should exist. Craigslist has always been the default P2P marketplace, but now itā€™s swarming with scammers. I spent 20 mins on the phone yesterday with a Craigslist guy pleading with me to buy his tickets: ā€œwhy would I risk grand larceny by scamming you out of tickets - of course I'm legit!ā€ In a world where the cost to build software continues to plummet, I think a new P2P system is possible. Itā€™s maddening that all the existing players take 10-20% on a $1,000 ticket. Itā€™s bad for the buyer and bad for the seller. Something else should emerge.

  4. Yes, the Mavs were brutalized. I still think they'll win the series.