Jake Paul's new betting company faced serious concerns from Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner who voted against approval

YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul's sports gambling company Betr received pushback from Massachusetts Gaming Commissioner Eileen O’Brien. O'Brien was the only one to cast a vote against granting a temporary gaming license to the company in a public hearing held earlier in January.

At the hearing, the Ohio-based sportsbook was granted a Massachusetts gaming license by a 4-1 vote in anticipation of a March 10 launch.

However, as per a report by WCPO 9 Cincinnati, The gaming commissioner is concerned about the effects such a platform could have on Paul's younger followers.

During last month's public hearing, O'Brien voiced her concerns about whether Betr was trying to prime Jake Paul's younger followers into taking up gambling once they turn 21, the legal age for sports betting.

In response, Betr's head of content Jake Strasser assured that the majority of their social media followers were above the legal betting age and that's who they were considering as their user base.

In an interview with WCPO 9 earlier his month, the company's CEO Joey Levy also seconded the claim that they were not trying to influence their younger followers, saying:

"By no means are we particularly targeting younger consumers. We actually are the only regulated operator in the United States to proactively limit deposits for younger bettors, 21 to 25 years old. And we’re also the only regulated operator in the United States to proactively ban credit cards as a method of depositing. [Transcripts via WCPO 9]"

However, Betr opted out of revealing the demographics of its social media subscriber base during the hearing. As per estimates provided by Cincinnati-based marketing firm Empower, of Betr's 669,000 social media followers, 26% are between the ages of 13-20.

Additionally, of Paul's colossal 70 million social media subscriber base, 38% are under 21. In comparison, other popular sportsbooks like Barstool Sports, FanDuel, and DraftKings are pegged to have a lower percentage of followers in this age bracket at 25%, 16%, and 13% respectively.

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Jake Pauls aims to disprove critics by knocking out "real boxer" Tommy Fury

One of the major criticisms of Jake Paul's career as a boxer has been that he has never faced an actual boxer. Most of Paul's opponents have been from other sports, including MMA.

However, 'The Problem Child' is looking forward to putting those criticisms to rest once and for all by knocking out undefeated boxer Tommy Fury. Speaking to Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, the YouTuber said:

"The critics have been right, I haven't fought a professional boxer and I've always wanted that. So this is [Tommy Fury] the undefeated professional boxer, from a legendary bloodline. His brother [Tyson Fury] is the heavyweight champion of the world."

He added:

"He is young, [the] same age, same weight [as I am]. He has got advantages, height over me, reach over me... When I beat this guy and knock him unconscious, I just don't know what people will have left to say."

Catch Jake Paul's comments below: