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In a poignant statement released by current PointsBet's Chief Commercial Officer, Nic Sulsky reflected on his past efforts to help build what would go on to become the third largest daily fantasy sports (DFS) site, Monkey Knife Fight. That site abruptly shut down this past week.
Just two years ago, the Bally's Corporation acquired Monkey Knife Fight for a cool $90 million in stock less almost exactly two years ago.
Newly appointed Bally's CEO Robeson Reeves did not hold back his feelings on that acquisition.
"It was a mistake," he affirmed.
“There were attempts to sell and salvage the Monkey Knife Fight business, which still maintains a passionate user base,” said Lloyd Danzig, Managing Partner at Sharp Alpha Advisors. “But, today’s announcement suggests that burn rate had grown too high for the platform to sustain operations without further infusions from Ballys.”
Unlike the traditional DFS sites that came into existence with DraftKings and FanDuel, Monkey Knife Fight focused on player-specific contests like “More or Less” where users predict whether a player’s performance will be more or less than a certain predicted statistic.
Sulsky offered a different perspective via his LinkedIn page.
"Tuesday was a surprisingly emotional day," he said. "The company I helped build, the brand I helped develop and the product I helped conceive - Monkey Knife Fight, closed down.
"Leaving MKF shortly after it was acquired in early 2021, was one of the most complicated decisions I ever had to make and while I have no regrets, this week's news struck me in ways I couldn't have predicted.
"I think I'll need some time to fully unpack my feelings but one thing will never change: my undying love (yes love) for all the MKF'ers I had the great fortune to work with and all the incredible partners we collaborated with along the way. (WAY too many names to list here, but you know.)
"Our goal was to shake things up. Our goal was to build a brand and a product that would break through. And we Fucking did it. No one can ever take that away from all of us.
"We took a vision for what could be, found some incredible people who wanted to take a collective big swing, worked our asses off, drank a little tequila, and built a brand called Monkey Knife Fight.
Monkey. Knife. Fight. Makes me laugh to this day.
"As you all know I can literally go on, and on, but the whole story might have to come by way of a book, not a LinkedIn post.
"For today I just want to say Thank You. Thank you, beloved colleagues. Thank you, inspiring partners. Thank you for empowering us to think differently. Thank you for pushing the envelope with us. And thank you awesome users who enjoyed our games and our irreverent perspective on things.
"I'll leave you with some of my favorite MKF memories. Living proof that when you mix a passionate team of brand builders with open-minded partners willing to drive outside the box, FUN can happen. Cause after all, isn't that what we're all chasing? MKF'ing Fun."
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
