Stake is privately owned, and Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani are the founders who built this global online gambling empire that also includes Stake.us, Easygo and Kick. However, the exact equity split isn’t published in any public shareholder register.
Key highlights:
- Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani founded Stake.com as a pioneering cryptocurrency casino in 2017
- Stake is private, so its precise ownership percentages aren’t public
- Medium Rare N.V. is commonly linked to Stake.com, while Sweepsteaks Limited operates the Stake.us sweepstakes casino platform
- Drake is a paid Drake brand ambassador, not a publicly confirmed shareholder
- Stake.com and Stake.us have different products, rules, and legal operators
Who owns Stake Casino? Meet Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani
Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani are the clearest answer to who owns Stake Casino. The Australian billionaire entrepreneur Ed Craven and co-founder Bijan Tehrani launched Stake.com in 2017 and are widely reported as the people behind the wider Stake business.
Their partnership began with a notable RuneScape origin story, then they moved into crypto-based gambling projects at a time when most online casinos still relied on traditional payment methods.
That early focus on cryptocurrency helped Stake differentiate itself from the competitors. It gave users a faster way to fund accounts and placed the brand in front of a global online gambling audience.
What Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani built before Stake
Primedice came first. It was a popular Bitcoin-based game that gave the founders experience with online games, digital wallets, and player acquisition.
Easygo followed in 2016 as a gaming and technology business. Then the flagship cryptocurrency casino and online sports betting site launched in 2017. It was a combo of provably fair games, crypto payments, and aggressive online marketing.
Put simply, Stake didn’t appear out of nowhere. Primedice supplied the early testing ground, while Easygo supplied much of the business and product infrastructure for the online casino platform.
Why the founders’ exact ownership percentages remain unclear
Stake isn’t a public company. It doesn’t publish a full shareholder list, annual investor filings, or an official cap table showing who owns what percentage of the online casino platform.
Some reports describe different ownership arrangements involving Easygo entities. Others identify particular operating companies. Those reports don’t settle the question of each founder’s personal equity.
A founder, director, legal operator, parent company, and beneficial owner aren’t always the same thing. That is why different websites can give different answers while still referring to the same broader business network.
Who is Mladen Vuckovic and what’s his role at Stake?
Mladen Vuckovic is a Serbian tech executive and the CEO of Stake.
He has represented Stake in company announcements and major sponsorship deals, including partnerships involving Watford FC and Sergio Agüero. His role appears to focus on executive operations and the commercial growth of the casino.
Vuckovic is also the founder and director of MEBIT, a Serbia-based company specializing in customer support, development, and business analytics. He has also been associated with Primedice, the cryptocurrency gambling platform that preceded Stake.
Importantly, public records don’t identify Vuckovic as a Stake co-founder or confirm that he owns equity in the company. Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani remain its publicly recognized founders and owners, while Vuckovic is a senior operating executive.
Which companies operate Stake.com and Stake.us?
The company structure is easier to understand when you separate the brand from the legal operator.
Medium Rare N.V. is the entity most commonly associated with operating Stake.com under a Curaçao gaming license. Easygo and Easygo Group are linked to the broader Stake business, including:
- Product development
- Technology
- Corporate operations
- Regulatory compliance
Stake.us is commonly connected with Sweepsteaks Limited, a separate entity associated with the US-facing social casino product. Company names and responsibilities can differ by product, country, and current legal terms.
The Stake name is shared across products, but that doesn’t mean every Stake site has the same operator, rules, or legal status.
It’s good practice to always check the current terms of service for the site you plan to use.
Stake.com and Stake.us are different products
Stake.com is an international crypto casino and sportsbook offering live dealer games and online sports betting. It’s subject to geographic restrictions and isn’t available in every country or state, even with its Curaçao gaming license.
Stake.us is promoted as a US sweepstakes casino. It uses Gold Coins and Stake Cash rather than offering the same real-money online sports betting service found on Stake.com.
Prize eligibility, identity checks, age limits, and promotional terms depend on your location. Being able to visit a website doesn’t automatically mean its product is legal where you live.
Where Kick fits into the ownership story
Craven and Tehrani are also associated with the Kick streaming platform launched in 2022. Reporting connects the Kick streaming platform and Stake through the broader Easygo business network and their shared founders.
Kick gave gambling creators another outlet after Twitch introduced tighter restrictions on certain gambling streams in late 2022. That connection helped make Stake even more visible among streamers and online gaming audiences.
Stake’s marketing has extended well beyond livestreams. Its branding has appeared through UFC partnerships, serving as an Everton FC sponsor, partnering with the Sauber Formula 1 team, working with influencers, and running celebrity campaigns.
Kick and Stake are not the same legal company, though. They are connected through founders and business relationships, not necessarily through one identical operating entity.
How marketing made Stake a global brand
The founders invested heavily in attention. Celebrity partnerships, sports branding alongside agreements like being an Everton FC sponsor and Sauber Formula 1 team partner, paid creator campaigns, and gambling livestreams put Stake.com in front of millions of people.
Of course, that reach and popularity also made Stake more scrutinized. Lawsuits, public debates, and concerns over regulatory compliance have raised allegations about:
- Gambling promotion
- Age protections
- Advertising disclosures
- Access in restricted markets
Despite the controversies, Stake has experienced immense growth, and some estimates place its valuation at over $23 billion.
How wealthy are Stake’s owners?
Private-company wealth is hard to verify. Company revenue, business valuation, and a founder’s personal net worth are three different numbers.
Forbes Australia reported that Stake generated about $4.7 billion in 2024 gross gaming revenue and estimated that billionaire entrepreneur Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani each hold a personal net worth between $2.2 and $2.8 billion. Those figures are estimates, not audited personal financial disclosures.
Their equity in Easygo related businesses and the Kick streaming platform, alongside high profile Toorak real estate investments, also shape each founder’s overall net worth. Without public ownership documents, no outside source can state the exact value of their online gambling empire with certainty.
Final thoughts
Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani are the founders and principal figures most closely tied to Stake’s ownership. The global cryptocurrency casino Stake.com operates under Medium Rare N.V. with a Curaçao gaming license, supported by Easygo and other affiliated companies.
Meanwhile, the US sweepstakes casino Stake.us operates via Sweepsteaks Limited, where players use Gold Coins and Stake Cash.
Drake remains a prominent paid brand ambassador rather than a publicly confirmed owner of the online casino platform. Before using Stake.com or Stake.us, check the correct operator, your local laws, age rules, and the current terms that apply to your location.
FAQ
Does Drake own a part of Stake?
No, Drake is not a publicly confirmed owner or shareholder of Stake. He operates strictly as a paid brand ambassador and prominent promoter for the platform under a sponsorship agreement.
What is the difference between Stake.com and Stake.us?
Stake.com is an international cryptocurrency casino and sports betting platform operated via Medium Rare N.V. Stake.us is a social sweepstakes casino tailored for the US market, utilizing virtual currency like Gold Coins and Stake Cash.
Does Mladen Vuckovic own Stake?
No. Mladen Vuckovic is the CEO of Stake, but he doesn’t have any ownership in the company.
Source:: Who Owns Stake Casino?