The team behind Potent Systems founded, owned, operated & grew BetAmerica from 2007 – 2017, building it into the fastest growing advanced deposit wagering businesses (ADW) in the United States. Revenues grew from $1.7 million in 2007 to $126.8 million in 2016, making it the 4th largest ADW in the United States, and the largest privately owned ADW. During this time BetAmerica.com paid out over over $500,000,000 in winnings to customers.
In April of 2017, after receiving a steady stream of interest from prospective buyers, we sold the company to Churchill Downs, the multi-billion dollar racing, gaming & entertainment company. Now we’re focused on taking our online gaming experience, and new resources, to pursue Potent Systems.
Our background in U.S. pari-mutuel wagering has given us a unique & legal entry point for creating this new vertical – games that provide the excitement and exhilaration of modern mobile game play, but who’s outcomes and payouts are based on live pari-mutuel races. Customers get the best of both worlds – a ‘best of breed’ live horse racing solution matched with a wide and exciting variety of pari-mutuel powered iGames – all available & legal across 39 U.S. states.
Jason King is the Co-Founder and President of Potent Systems LLC
With a focus on emerging online startups since 1997, Jason King has extensive experience running and operating service based technology companies.
In 1996 Jason took on a management role in a small, 10 employee, internet startup that was focused on online gaming. Utilizing his management and technical expertise, he helped grow the company’s production team into a digital powerhouse. By 1999 Jason had been appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Internationally traded public company, World Gaming PLC, which now had over 220 employees, offices around the world, and a market capitalization of over $750,000,000. During this time Jason was interviewed and quoted extensively in magazines such as “Wired” and “Cigar Aficionado” on issues relating to the Internet, gaming and digital media.
In 1999 Jason transitioned into the role of CEO of Inphinity Interactive, the online games development division of World Gaming, both leading and managing a team of over 160 employees. The company was a “creative house” with an extensive collection of animators, graphic designers, digital media experts and programmers all focused on creating new and exciting games for a wide variety of International clients.
In late 2001 Jason left Inphinity to start Loaded Image Inc., a new media company focused on providing a full range of design and
communication services to clients; applying expertise in brand; corporate identity creation; and interactive design and development.
The company worked with a diverse set of clients and projects ranging from television ads for Great Canadian Casinos to online games for the 2010 Winter Olympics for British Columbia Lottery Corp’s “Play Now” division.
In 2011 Jason founded 364 Northern Development Corporation (“364”), a Vancouver based technology company focused on software
development for the pari-mutuel gaming industry, and the primary development provider for BAM Software and Services LLC (“BAM”). From 2011-2017 364 provided all software development services for BAM, including the development and maintenance of the BAM Interactive
Platform that powered a wide variety of real money gaming sites in the U.S., including BetAmerica.com.
In April 2017, 364 Northern Development was acquired by BAM, in conjunction with the purchase of BetAmerica.com by Churchill Downs, the multi-billion dollar racing, gaming and entertainment company.
CEO
CEO
John Ford is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Potent Systems LLC, a technology and services company dedicated to disrupting the online games industry.
He leads a team of experienced executives and software developers who previously created and operated the BAM Interactive Platform, whose B2C product, BetAmerica.com, became the fastest growing and largest independent real money betting site across the USA.
A licensed attorney, John was a partner at Eckert Seamans, a 200+ attorney law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked with individuals, privately held firms and multi-national publicly traded companies in a wide range of corporate legal matters, including gaming, asset based financing, real estate development, land use and corporate governance and compliance.
Later, John joined leisure industry leader Hilton Group PLC, the London-based FTSE 100 company, appointed as General Counsel and Executive Vice President at Ladbroke/USA, their U.S.-based subsidiary of Ladbroke, the legendary betting company.
In addition to his role as a member of the Board of Directors, John managed all aspects of all legal matters for Ladbroke’s North American operations, which employed over 3,000 employees at twelve locations in several states, as well as the Province of Ontario, Canada. During his tenure, Ladbroke/USA launched the first
licensed and regulated pari-mutuel wagering website in the United States, a project in which John was intimately involved, as the legal boundaries of wagering and the internet were first being
addressed.
Upon Ladbroke’s withdrawal from North and South America, John formed a consulting firm and worked with domestic & foreign companies assisting senior management on a variety of initiatives, managing a broad spectrum of legal affairs, assessing and formulating strategic direction and assisting in business management and development. He continued to further his respected expertise in online lottery,sweepstakes, horse racing, play for fun and real money gaming law, both from the software development side, as well as from the operating side. John worked extensively with both land-based and online racing and gaming operators and brings a unique perspective to both sides of the industry.
Seeing opportunity following the passage of federal legislation in 2006, Mr. Ford’s lengthy work in technology oriented business initiatives, both from a legal and from the business side, prompted him to co-found BAM Software and Services LLC. At BAM Software, he grew a team which built and advanced a state-of-the-art interactive platform for real money games and gaming. It’s flagship B2C online gaming site, BetAmerica.com, was sold to Churchill Downs in 2017.
He has now co-founded Potent Systems LLC, to shape and respond to the ever-evolving landscape of legal wagering and interactive real money games. Potent seeks to define the future of legal online wagering in the United States.
