Sam Kiki

Sam Kiki
Born
Sam Kiki

Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Alma materAmherst College
OccupationBusiness executive
Years active2018-present
Known for
Title

Sam Kiki is an American gaming and technology executive. He is the founder and CEO of Monkey Tilt.[1][2] He was chief product officer and chief strategy officer of Caesars Interactive Entertainment and later the chief commercial officer of Game Play Network.[1] He is also the co-founder of Manifold Trading.[2] He has been featured on, Forbes, Daily Mirror, Binance, OK! magazine, Distractify, Complex, Fortune, amongst others.[3][2][4][5][6][7]

Early life and education

Kiki was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada to parents of Syrian descent.[2] He attended Amherst College in Massachusetts on scholarship, where he earned a degree in Neuroscience.[2][1][8]

Career

He began his career at MGM Resorts in investor relations, where he worked with senior executives on projects related to sports betting, online gaming, and investor relations.[9][10] He later joined Caesars Interactive as the Head of Product and Strategy.[2] At Caesars, he contributed to the due diligence process for the William Hill acquisition, managed partnerships involving ESPN and the NFL, and co-directed the company’s investment in Superdraft. He then became the chief commercial officer at Game Play Network, where he oversaw commercial strategy, partnerships, and capital development in online gaming.[11][12] Kiki subsequently co-founded Manifold Trading, a quantitative trading firm focused on high-frequency strategies and arbitrage.[13][14][2] He and his team later developed Ather Technologies as a spin-off, leveraging technology from that business to deliver market access and order routing solutions for institutional clients.[1][14] In 2023, Ather Technologies was sold to Versifi.[15]

Monkey Tilt

Kiki is best known as the founder and CEO of Monkey Tilt, a Web3 and crypto-integrated iGaming company.[16] In 2024, Monkey Tilt raised $21 million in an early funding round led by Polychain Capital, marking one of the largest investments in the iGaming blockchain sector at the time.[5] Later in 2024, the company announced an additional $30 million Series A round funding led by U.S hedge fund, Pantera Capital,[17][18][19] to further develop its platform and global reach.[6][20][21] The platform integrates blockchain technology, NFT-based player rewards, and crypto payments, to bridge Web3 culture and mainstream entertainment.[22][23][24] Coverage from AOL Finance and Yahoo Finance described the round as part of a broader effort to make online gaming more social and community-driven,[25][26] being one of the first platforms to support cryptocurrency staking, integrating transactions in bitcoin, ethereum, dogecoin, amongst other stablecoins.[27] Some of the investor includes Tyga and Ryan Garcia.[8][2]

In addition to its gaming, the company partnered with Complex during Super Bowl LIX to host a $1 million jackpot experience,[28][29] as part of the Complex’s Family Style festival in New Orleans.[30][31][7] The event was developed teaming-up with Truck Tilt and West Coast Customs.[32][33][34]

Personal life

Kiki is known for high-stakes poker appearances and has spoken about the game's declining public visibility.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d McCrory, Connor (2025-06-13). "Sam Kiki's multi-million dollar entertainment empire gets A-list backing". Daily Express. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ryan Garcia and Tyga Back Sam Kiki's Multi-Million Dollar Empire". Daily Mirror. 2025-06-13. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  3. ^ a b "Sam Kiki: High Stakes On The Table And Behind The Camera". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-01-21.
  4. ^ a b "Sam Kiki's Wild Year in High-Stakes Poker". Distractify. 2025-11-26. Retrieved 2026-01-23.
  5. ^ a b "Monkey Tilt Raises 21 Million In Funding Round". Binance. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  6. ^ a b "Monkey Tilt Raises $30 Million in Push to Make Online Gambling More Social". Fortune. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  7. ^ a b "Recapping Monkey Tilt's $1M Family Style Tailgate". Complex. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  8. ^ a b "Inside Sam Kiki's Monkey Tilt Backed by Tyga and Ryan Garcia". OK Magazine. 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  9. ^ "Sam Kiki". High Roll Poker. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  10. ^ "MGM's Aria Advertises Illegal Offshore Betting Site". Nevada Current. 2025-05-29. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  11. ^ "Game Play Network Announces Expansion of Leadership Team". Gaming America. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  12. ^ "Game Play Network Announces Key Leadership Appointments". SBC America. 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  13. ^ "Social Gaming Platform Monkey Tilt Secures $30M Series A Round Led By Pantera Capital". NFT Gators. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  14. ^ a b "Sam Kiki". Speaker Hub. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  15. ^ "VersiFi Acquires Ather Digital". VersiFi. 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
  16. ^ "Monkey Tilt On a Mission to Breathe Fresh Life Into iGaming Scene". Bitcoinist. 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  17. ^ "Monkey Tilt Secures $30 Million in Series A Funding Led by Pantera Capital". CoinMarketCap. November 21, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  18. ^ "Monkey Tilt raises $30m to push online gaming "into new era"". NEXT.io. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  19. ^ "Crypto casino Monkey Tilt raises $30 million Series A led by Pantera Capital". The Block. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  20. ^ "Monkey Tilt Raises $30M in Series A Funding For Online Gaming". Sportscasting. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  21. ^ "Monkey Tilt Raises $30 Million In Push To Make Online Gambling More Social". Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 2025-08-09. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  22. ^ "Monkey Tilt: The Future Of On-The-Web Betting and Crypto-Friendly Casino". Data House. 2025-06-21. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  23. ^ What is Monkey Tilt?. Messari
  24. ^ "Monkey Tilt Scoops Up $30M in Series A Funding Led by Pantera Capital". Gambling News. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  25. ^ Monkey Tilt raises $30 million in Push To Make Online Gambling More Social.Fortune.AOL Finance
  26. ^ "Monkey Tilt Raises $30 Million in Push To Make Online Gambling More Social". CoinMarketCap. Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 2025-08-09. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  27. ^ "Monkey Tilt raises $30 million in push to make online gambling more social". Yahoo Finance. Archived from the original on 2025-08-09. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  28. ^ "Monkey Tilt and Complex Partner For $1m Super Bowl LIX Prize". Gaming America. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  29. ^ "Monkey Tilt and Complex Bring High-Stakes Excitement to New Orleans During the Big Game with a $1M Prize!". Newswire. Monkey Tilt. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  30. ^ "A Popular LA Food Festival Is Bringing This Year's Coolest Super Bowl Event to New Orleans". Eater Nola. 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  31. ^ "Family Style Fest in New Orleans: What You Need to Know". Complex. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  32. ^ Arias, Juanita Chavarro (2025-02-13). "Super Bowl LIX: Eight Standout Vehicles Spotted in NOLA". Event Marketer. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  33. ^ "Super Bowl 59: These Brands Are Capturing Buzz off the Field". AdWeek. 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
  34. ^ "Super Bowl 2025: The Best Parties, Concerts and Tailgating Events in New Orleans". The Hollywood Reporter. 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-10-16.
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