TORONTO, Jan. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rivalry Corp. (the “Company” or “Rivalry”) (TSXV: RVLY) (OTCQX: RVLCF) (FSE: 9VK), the leading sportsbook and iGaming operator for digital-first players, today announced it has added U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s official Solana cryptocurrency ‘$TRUMP’ as an accepted payment method.

Ahead of the U.S. Presidential Inauguration on January 20th, Rivalry users are now able to deposit and wager using $TRUMP, a cryptocurrency on the Solana blockchain which currently has a fully diluted value of over USD $30 billion. The addition of $TRUMP as a payment method on Rivalry comes less than 24 hours after the President-elect released the cryptocurrency on Friday evening.

”Meme coins are attention monetized, and the release of $TRUMP just days before an Inauguration is a quintessential internet and crypto culture-driven moment which enabled it to eclipse $30 billion in fully diluted value shortly after its debut” said Steven Salz, Co-Founder and CEO of Rivalry. “Rapidly deploying $TRUMP as a deposit method in less than 24 hours is a testament to our ability to identify and lean into these universal cultural moments, layer it into our core crypto gambling experience, and deliver first-of-its-kind experiences to our users.”

Additionally, Rivalry customers wagering on-site with $TRUMP will receive exclusive rewards through February 1, 2025 in recognition of the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, including multiplying the amount of NUTZ–the Company’s native token–players earn on every bet by 20x, a reflection of the inauguration on Monday, January 20, 2025.

With the acceptance of $TRUMP, along with a number of other major cryptocurrencies as part of Rivalry’s crypto-first approach, the Company has ongoing treasury holdings of various major cryptocurrencies and meme coins that it accepts as a deposit option. The Company will continue to add additional cryptocurrencies as needed to support its player base and continual expansion into the crypto gambling segment.

$TRUMP as a payment method will be available to Rivalry users in jurisdictions which apply to the Company’s Isle of Man license only.

About Rivalry

Rivalry Corp. wholly owns and operates Rivalry Limited, a leading sport betting and media company offering fully regulated online wagering on esports, traditional sports, and casino for the digital generation. Based in Toronto, Rivalry operates a global team in more than 20 countries and growing. Rivalry Limited has held an Isle of Man license since 2018, considered one of the premier online gambling jurisdictions, as well as an internet gaming registration in Ontario, and is currently in the process of obtaining additional country licenses. With world class creative execution and brand positioning in online culture, a native crypto token, and demonstrated market leadership among digital-first users Rivalry is shaping the future of online gambling for a generation born on the internet.

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

Company Contact:
Steven Salz, Co-founder & CEO
ss@rivalry.com

Investor Contact:
investors@rivalry.com

Media Contact:
Cody Luongo, Head of Communications
cody@rivalry.com
203-947-1936

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws (“forward-looking statements”). All statements other than statements of present or historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “achieve”, “could”, “believe”, “plan”, “intend”, “objective”, “continuous”, “ongoing”, “estimate”, “outlook”, “expect”, “project” and similar words, including negatives thereof, suggesting future outcomes or that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. These statements are only predictions.

Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of the Company at the date the statements are made based on information then available to the Company. Various factors and assumptions are applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to and involve a number of known and unknown, variables, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, which may cause the Company’s actual performance and results to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations; the ability to obtain and maintain required licenses; the esports and sports betting industry being a heavily regulated industry; the complex and evolving regulatory environment for the online gaming and online gambling industry; the success of esports and other betting products are not guaranteed; changes in public perception of the esports and online gambling industry; failure to retain or add customers; the Company having a limited operating history; negative cash flow from operations; operational risks; cybersecurity risks; reliance on management; reliance on third parties and third-party networks; exchange rate risks; risks related to cryptocurrency transactions; risk of intellectual property infringement or invalid claims; the effect of capital market conditions and other factors on capital availability; competition, including from more established or better financed competitors; and general economic, market and business conditions. For additional risks, please see the Company’s management’s discussion and analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 under the heading “Risk Factors”, and other disclosure documents available on the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

No assurance can be given that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Source: Rivalry Corp.

President-elect Donald Trump has launched a new meme coin called $TRUMP. He made the announcement in a post on Truth Social post late Friday, describing the cryptocurrency as a celebration of “WINNING” the presidential election. 

Analysts say it has the potential to make a lot of money for Trump and his family, but some ethics experts say it’s another effort to cash in on the nation’s highest office. 

What is the $TRUMP coin? 

The new Trump-backed meme coin is a cryptocurrency token with an image of Trump following his assassination attempt.

It was developed by Solana, a cryptocurrency and blockchain company, with a limited supply of 200 million $TRUMP coins at initial launch. The supply will expand to 1 billion coins over the next three years, the coin’s website states. 

The remaining tokens that haven’t been put up for sale yet are owned by the Trump Organization affiliate CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC, a company formed in Delaware on Jan. 7, state filings show. Forbes reports that both companies will receive an undisclosed amount of revenue from the coin trade. 

By the numbers:

The price of $TRUMP increased by more than 300% to just below $29 as of 10:15 a.m. ET Saturday. It reached a market cap of $5.81 billion, according to CoinMarketCap data obtained by Forbes. 

$TRUMP disclaimer

There’s a disclaimer on the $TRUMP website stating that the token is “not intended to be, or the subject of” an investment opportunity nor a security of any type, and is “not political and has nothing to do with” any political activity or government agency. 

RELATED: Millionaire says he’s buried $2M in hidden treasures across the US

Why are meme coins risky? 

Dig deeper:

Although all cryptocurrency carries risk, meme coins can be especially risky for traders, an expert told CNBC. 

“Meme coins are among the riskiest of cryptocurrencies because they seem to emerge from nowhere and information about them can be sparse,” he says. “They’re expected to soar and plummet as the public sentiment shifts this way and that. Meme coins may capture the public’s fancy today and be gone tomorrow.”

Why are Trump’s meme coins considered unethical? 

The other side:

Ethics attorneys called the latest venture by Trump and his family a blatant effort to profiteer from the presidency. 

“It is literally cashing in on the presidency — creating a financial instrument so people can transfer money to the president’s family in connection with his office” Adav Noti, executive director of Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit ethics group, told The New York Times. “It is beyond unprecedented.”

Crypto surges after Trump win 

The backstory:

The price of bitcoin topped $100,000 again early Friday as a pumped up cryptocurrency industry expects early action by Trump when he’s sworn in as president next week.

RELATED: Crypto markets surge after Trump’s election victory

Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin ” seems like a scam,” Trump has embraced digital currencies with a convert’s zeal. He vowed on the campaign trail to take steps early in his presidency to make the U.S. into the “crypto capital” of the world.

His promises including creating a U.S. crypto stockpile, enacting industry-friendly regulation and event appointing a crypto “czar” for his administration.

“You’re going to be very happy with me,” Trump told crypto-enthusiasts at a bitcoin conference last summer.

By the numbers:

According to Forbes, bitcoin hit several new record highs after Trump’s win, surpassing $100,000 within a month of Election Day. Roughly $1.8 trillion was added to the global crypto market’s aggregate market value in 2024, and $1 trillion of that was since Election Day, according to CoinGecko via Forbes. 

Other Trump merchandise

Big picture view:

Trump’s meme coin is one of several products he has launched in recent years. He has a line of perfumes and colognes, along with “Trump Watches” celebrating his election win. His pre-win “Trump Watches” were valued up to $100,000 in September, and there was also the debut of $100 silver coins, 1,000 pairs of limited edition sneakers, $60 Trump-branded bibles and NFT cards, according to Forbes. Trump also released a line of signed and unsigned guitars sold at $11,500 and $1,500 each, respectively, for $4.6 million in sales.

Trump has received the bulk of his merchandise revenue through his NFTs, which reportedly earned him about $7.2 million in licensing fees. 

To the crypto company Tether, the account was identified only by a 31-character string: TTAHMdqoom4f2VTWniroPWQHcTRZ4ca.

It’s a cryptocurrency wallet address, one of more than 300 million around the world that have held Tether tokens and make up a global unregulated payments network. Unlike a bank or fintech company, Tether collects no personal information about most of its users. Anyone can open a crypto wallet and move money with Tether quickly, cheaply and anonymously.