Switzerland-based non-profit Sbarter is pursuing a €40 million Series A to redefine skill-based gaming with blockchain technology, and has outlined plans for a broader global rollout. The organization has completed its pre-seed and seed rounds and is raising new investment through the sale of six billion SBT tokens as part of a regulated 14 billion-token offering. The initiative aims to scale despite broader challenges facing web3 adoption in gaming and a regulatory climate that recently led to a real-money ban in India, a move that affected the country’s games market and investor sentiment. Sbarter has set an ambitious goal of reaching 10 million users within five years.
The first studio to utilize the Sbarter protocol is Vivid Games for Real Boxing 3, with additional publishers expected to follow. The company emphasizes that the protocol is built, audited, and already operating with selected partners, and that the upcoming funds will support publisher integrations, compliance, and payment infrastructure to enable a stable, transparent global rollout from day one. According to Sbarter’s CMO Dominique Cor, the blockchain element gives publishers control over their data and validation, while players benefit from outcomes that are protected. He notes that slow adoption of web3 in games stems from a lack of real operational necessity tied to blockchain technology.
He argues that most prior web3 efforts tried to reshape game economies rather than support existing gameplay, and that adoption slows when technology requires players or studios to change behavior. Sbarter positions its approach as enabling competitive play within existing game mechanics, offering a safe and transparent way to drive retention and new revenue at scale. The company contends that infrastructure is required to secure outcomes and automate processes safely, and that blockchain—a tool rather than a premise—best serves that need. India’s real-money gaming ban is seen as a global warning, with significant investment losses and ongoing debates about the links between skill-based gaming and gambling.
Cor acknowledges the regulatory shifts can be rapid and says Sbarter has adopted a compliance-first, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction model. The team stresses that when rules change, they pause, assess, and adapt, maintaining multi-market operations and aiming to engage responsibly if a compliant path reopens in India. They remain ready for stricter regulations elsewhere and continue dialogues with regulators and legal partners to navigate future paths. They maintain that gambling, as a concept, relies on chance and a house, while Sbarter’s model does not rely on those dynamics, instead focusing on small, capped bets designed to keep experiences responsible and within the scope of current gameplay.
Cor emphasizes a compliance-first, jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction strategy, noting that India is paused for now while the team continues in markets with clear frameworks. He stresses that gambling, as a concept, relies on chance and a house, whereas Sbarter’s model uses small, capped bets designed to keep experiences responsible and within the scope of current gameplay. They are paused in India for now while continuing in markets with clear frameworks, and if a compliant route reopens in India, they will engage and move forward responsibly. Asked whether Sbarter is concerned other countries will adopt similar measures, Cor says it isn’t worried, but is instead “ready for it”.
“If other countries introduce tougher rules, our answer doesn’t change. We stay in dialogue, we adapt where needed, and we keep proving that this model can run responsibly at global scale.”
“Gambling relies on chance and on a house. Sbarter has neither.”
Asked if he thinks there’s a misunderstanding about skill-based gaming’s links to gambling, and if he thinks it’s fair to label it as such given players are betting money, Cor says such a term would be “inaccurate.”
“Gambling relies on chance and on a house,” he explains.
“Sbarter has neither: amounts are small, capped and deliberately designed to keep the experience responsible.”
They aren’t there to drive financial gain – they play the same role they do in real life when two friends put a few euros on a game of darts or pool at the bar to make things more exciting.
That behaviour already exists, and we are simply giving it a safe and compliant structure.”
“The most important addition Sbarter brings is a way to structure the competitive behaviours that already happen in games whether it’s two players challenging each other, or a community organising its own moments of competition.”
“Everything stays within the existing gameplay, with clear limits, verified outcomes and a framework that keeps it fair and transparent.”
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