Designed the peer-to-peer betting platform KeyStar Corp acquired, from custom bets to crypto payouts
ZenSports is peer-to-peer sports betting: users create their own bets and set their own rules, with no bookmaker, and get paid out in crypto. Everything we designed had to be good enough to sell. It was: KeyStar Corp, a publicly traded company, acquired ZenSports in 2022.
- Acquiredby KeyStar Corp, a publicly traded company, in 2022
- VIP Playthe acquirer relaunched the product as a new brand on the same design foundation
- Casino + rewardsnew business lines added after the acquisition, without a redesign
ProblemOne brand had to hold up across every product line
ZenSports kept adding product lines (sports betting, esports, partner games), and each launch risked looking like a different company. Goal: one design system and strategy strong enough to scale, so everything reads as one brand and the product is worth buying.
The website had to promote all of it at once: download the app, play esports, trade crypto. When a design system has to hold across several product categories, it has to be built right for scale from the start.
Design goalsWhat “better” had to mean
- One brandEvery product line looks like the same company.
- ScaleNew categories and promotions plug into the same system.
- PremiumAfter the acquisition, the product had to feel more premium to compete.
Change 01 · SystemEvery product line now shares one design system, so new launches look like ZenSports
I extended one system across sports betting, esports and partner games: the website, the esports hub, tournaments and promotions all draw on the same parts.
Change 02 · VIP PlayAfter the acquisition, the same foundation became VIP Play, more premium and more interactive
ZenSports evolved into VIP Play. Same design foundation, elevated: a new brand, richer interactions and a more premium feel, with more sports categories, more promotions and more ways to interact.
Change 03 · ExpansionThe product grew across mobile, web, esports and casino on the same parts
VIP Play expanded into casino and new rewards programs on web and mobile without starting over, because the system underneath was built to scale.
RetrospectiveWhat changed
- Business
Acquired by KeyStar Corp, a publicly traded company, in 2022, then rebranded as VIP Play.
- Product
Expanded across mobile, web, esports and casino, with strong traction and healthy ratings through the growth phase.
- Me
I was part of that journey from 2019 to mid-2025. After I rolled off, new leadership took the product in a different direction; the foundation we built is what got it acquired and scaled.
More from ZenSports → VIP PlayThe rest of the work
- Brand identity A rebrand built to compete in a regulated, high-energy market.
- Websites Every web surface of the VIP Play rebrand.
- Marketing and campaigns High-volume promo creative for a regulated market.
- Marketing and campaigns World-building for an esports and NFT community.
