How Ed Craven Went From Gamer to Crypto Billionaire

Ed Craven is a young Australian entrepreneur known for his creative work in the gaming and tech world. He is best known as the co-founder of Stake.com, one of the biggest crypto-backed online casinos, and Kick.com, a fast-growing live-streaming platform. Starting as a gamer with big dreams, he turned his passion for gaming and technology into billion-dollar businesses.

His story shows how curiosity, timing, and smart use of new technology can change a person’s life. From playing online games as a teenager to becoming one of Australia’s youngest billionaires, Ed’s journey is full of lessons about innovation, risk-taking, and adaptation. This article explores how he built his empire step by step, his challenges, and how he continues to shape the world of online gaming and entertainment today.

Quick bio

Details	Information
Full name	Edward “Ed” Craven
Born	1995/1996, Melbourne, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Known for	Co-founder of Stake.com (crypto-backed online casino) and Kick.com (live-streaming platform)
Partner in business	Bijan Tehrani (long-time co-founder)
Main company	Easygo (game and tech studio behind Stake & Kick)
Notable headline	Among Australia’s youngest billionaires (on rich lists in 2024–2025)
Public note	Stake was hacked in 2023; the FBI blamed DPRK’s Lazarus Group (about $41M)

From teen gamer to startup builder

Ed Craven grew up in Melbourne and loved online games. As a teenager he spent time in the RuneScape world, where he met future partner Bijan Tehrani. They began to test ideas for “virtual gambling” inside gaming communities. This early curiosity soon turned into a real product. In 2013 they launched Primedice, a simple crypto dice game. It was their first taste of building and running an online betting product with bitcoin.

Those early years taught them speed, uptime, and trust. The site had to feel fair and fast. It also showed them that crypto could make global bets easy, because users did not need bank accounts in the same country. With lessons from Primedice, they started a studio called Easygo in 2016 to build more casino games and tech.

The birth of Stake.com

In 2017, Craven and Tehrani launched Stake.com. At first, Stake offered a small set of “originals” house-made games and took only crypto. The site ran under a Curaçao license and later opened offices in places like Serbia and Cyprus, while the founders worked from Melbourne. Over a few years, Stake grew into one of the world’s largest crypto-backed casinos.

Stake pushed hard on marketing and partnerships. It expanded to the UK through a local partner in late 2021 and later sponsored big sports teams like Everton FC and a Formula 1 team (Sauber/Stake F1 Team). These moves lifted brand awareness far beyond crypto circles.

By 2024–2025, business media described Stake as the biggest crypto-backed online casino, with multibillion-dollar gross gaming revenue. A Forbes profile reported Stake generated about $4.7 billion in 2022 gross revenue.

Working with stars and streamers

One of Stake’s loudest marketing bets was a deal with Drake. The rapper began public promotions in 2022 and hosted flashy “Drake on Stake” streams. Reports in respected outlets, citing industry sources, say the partnership was worth up to $100 million a year. The exact figures are not public, but this number appears across business coverage. The scale of the deal shows how far the company was ready to go to reach mainstream fans.

A bump in the road: the 2023 hack

Growth did not come without shocks. In September 2023, the FBI said North Korea’s Lazarus Group stole about $41 million in crypto from Stake. The public warning from the FBI named the group and gave dates. For a young company, this was a serious stress test. Stake later resumed service, and the founders tightened security while keeping the platform online.

Kick.com: a bold move into live streaming

In 2022, Craven helped launch Kick.com, a live-streaming site built to compete with Twitch. Kick offered creators a low 5% revenue cut and looser moderation, which drew many big streamers. Names like xQc, Adin Ross, Amouranth, and others signed deals or moved large parts of their audience there in 2023. The platform is backed by the Stake founders and streamer Trainwreckstv.

Kick grew fast, especially in some non-English markets. But fast growth brought hard questions about safety and rules. In August 2025, after a tragic death of a French streamer during a broadcast, regulators and media asked how Kick enforced its policies. Kick removed channels and said it would work with authorities, but the incident showed the risks of open platforms at scale.

Shifting from “all crypto” to mainstream

Stake began as “crypto-only,” but the business evolved. By early 2025, major Australian business press reported that about 70% of transactions were in fiat (regular money), and the company was chasing more government licenses worldwide. This shift suggests Craven wants Stake to be seen not just as a crypto casino, but as a regulated global betting brand. Reports also pointed to very high profits in 2024.

At the same time, public profiles noted the strong financial results of Easygo, the tech arm behind Stake and Kick. In 2023, Easygo reported hundreds of millions in profit and paid large corporate taxes in Australia, according to The Australian. This shows there is a real operating company with significant staff and costs, not only a website.

Wealth and rich lists

Craven appears on young rich lists and Australia’s 50 Richest coverage. In 2024 and 2025, media placed him among the top young Australian billionaires. One AFR Young Rich story in October 2025 estimated around A$4.6 billion and ranked him second among under-40s for that year’s list. (Rich-list figures vary by method and exchange rates.)

Forbes also profiles him, listing him among Australia’s richest, with age, citizenship, and online-casino wealth as the source. These entries help confirm that his fortune is tied directly to Stake’s success and the rapid rise of Kick.

Legal and policy pressure

Running a global betting brand is complex. Stake operates under a Curaçao license and has faced rules in different places. In 2025, UK issues and a California lawsuit about a “social casino” model for Stake.us drew attention to how online gambling rules differ by country and state. The company says it will contest claims and keep seeking formal licenses. For readers, the key idea is simple: as Stake tries to go mainstream, compliance becomes a core part of growth.

What this says about Ed Craven

Craven’s story mixes gamer culture, crypto timing, and sharp product work. Starting with low-friction crypto games, he and his partner built a platform that could handle huge traffic and payouts. Then they used big-name marketing to reach the mass market. Later, they moved toward fiat payments and licenses. This path shows not only a bet on new tech, but also a move toward normal, regulated business.

He is also willing to build related platforms not only a casino, but also a streaming service. Kick gives Stake a media arm and a way to work with creators directly. This is risky, but it can also lower marketing costs and keep users inside the same ecosystem.

Why people follow his journey

He is very young for the scale of his companies and wealth. Rich-list rankings keep him in the news.
He plays the long game building a studio (Easygo), a casino (Stake), and a platform (Kick) that feed each other.
He adapts moving from crypto-only to fiat, and from pure buying ads to owning the media channel.
He faces real tests a major hack, regulation, and public debate on gambling and streaming culture.

Final thoughts

Ed Craven’s path is a modern founder story. He mixed gaming, crypto, and creator culture to build global brands from Australia. He and his partner went from small dice games to a casino and a streaming site used by tens of millions. The work brought big wins, but also big tests, security, public duty, and rules in many countries. How he handles those tests will shape the next chapter for Stake, Kick, and Easygo.

FAQs

1) Who is Ed Craven?
He is an Australian tech founder and investor. He co-founded the crypto-backed casino Stake.com and the live-streaming site Kick.com with partner Bijan Tehrani.

2) How did he start in this space?
He began with online games and crypto dice. In 2013 he and Tehrani launched Primedice, then formed Easygo in 2016 to build more games and tech tools.

3) What is Stake.com?
Stake is a top online casino and sportsbook that first took only crypto. It later added fiat payments and grew fast through partnerships and sponsorships.

4) How big is Stake?
A Forbes profile reported $4.7 billion in 2022 gross revenue. Other business outlets say the company had billions in gross gaming revenue in 2024. Numbers vary by source, but they all show large scale.

5) What is Kick.com?
Kick is a live-streaming platform launched in 2022. It is known for low fees (5% to the platform) and deals with famous streamers.

6) Did Stake face a hack?
Yes. In September 2023, the FBI said Lazarus Group stole about $41 million in crypto from Stake.

7) Is the Drake partnership real?
Drake has promoted Stake since 2022. Many reports cite the deal at up to $100 million a year, though the exact contract is not public.

8) How rich is Ed Craven?
Rich-list estimates change, but in 2025 he ranked near the top of Australia’s Young Rich with wealth in the billions. Use these lists as guides, not exact facts.

9) Why is Stake moving to fiat and licenses?
To reach more markets and fit local rules. Reports say by early 2025 most transactions were in fiat and the firm was seeking more licenses.

10) What are the main debates around Craven’s companies?
Gambling’s social impact, streamer safety on Kick, and how to regulate online casinos and social-casino models in different countries. These issues keep regulators and media focused on the group.

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