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 doesn’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 couldn’t quite make out who was sitting on the floor. One guy looked like North End restauranteur Frank Depasquale. Was it him? I’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 there’s still opportunity. A no-fee high trust P2P system should exist. Craigslist has always been the default P2P marketplace, but now it’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. It’s maddening that all the existing players take 10-20% on a $1,000 ticket. It’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.