The $1.2 million butt tattoos: How a bet on SuperPlay made one man a millionaire
The $1.2 million butt tattoos: How a bet on SuperPlay made one man a millionaire
The incredible story of how tattoos and a gaming company’s rise changed one man’s fortunes forever. What started as a playful wager turned into a life-changing fortune for D after SuperPlay was recently acquired by Playtika for up to $1.95 billion.
The story begins as a seemingly routine event in the Israeli gaming industry. In 2019, two Playtika alumni, Gilad Almog and Eyal Netzer, along with Elad Drory, founded SuperPlay, a company focused on developing mobile games. Within six months of its founding, SuperPlay released Dice Dreams, a mobile game in the growing coin-collecting category, which quickly became a hit. Shortly thereafter, the company launched another game, Domino Dreams, which also gained considerable popularity. Both games, like many in the field, are free to download on app stores, with users required to make payments in the advanced stages, a model that generates significant revenue for the company.
One of the players who became hooked on these games was D. (name withheld), a close friend of Eyal Almog, the brother of SuperPlay’s founder, Gilad Almog. "I’m a very good friend of Eyal's. I grew up in his house, and Gilad is like a big brother to me," D. told Calcalist. "When he started the company, Eyal told me that Gilad really liked me and that if I asked him, he might give me a small share in the company. So, I jokingly said to Gilad, ‘What?! You want to be a millionaire on your own? Throw me a bone!’"
Although Gilad initially refused, D. persisted. "After a few months," D. recalled, "Gilad came to a soccer tournament in a good mood, and I tried again. He joked, ‘If you get a tattoo of our game on your butt, you’ll get 0.1% of the company.’ I immediately said I’d do it, and the people around him started egging him on. Then, Gilad doubled down, saying, ‘If you get the SuperPlay logo tattooed on the other side of your butt, I’ll double it.’ I didn’t hesitate and agreed."
Gilad Almog shared his side of the story: "One day, D. came up to me and said, ‘Dice Dreams is an amazing game. If I get a tattoo of the SuperPlay logo, will you give me a share of the company?’ Half-joking, I told him, ‘If you do it, you’ll get 0.1%, and it’ll come from my share.’ Then D. said, ‘What if I get a tattoo of the game logo on the other side? Will you double it?’ Again, I jokingly said yes."
D. continued, "I told my wife, and she said, ‘You’re an idiot. You already have tattoos that are worse, so you'll obviously do it.’ By 1 a.m., I messaged Gilad, saying I was going through with it, but he replied, ‘You won’t do it; you’re a loser.’ The next morning, I went to Moreno Tattoos in Tel Aviv and got the tattoos done. When I finished, I called Gilad and asked him to come outside. I pulled down my pants to show him. At first, he was stunned. Then he checked to make sure it was real and said, ‘I can’t believe you actually did it. You don’t understand what I just gave you.’ I laughed and told him, ‘From now on, I’m your good luck charm.’"
Apparently, the "charm" worked. SuperPlay’s games surged in popularity, reaching 1.7 million daily active users by August this year. Revenues soared, reportedly exceeding $200 million over the past 12 months. Investors, including NFX, Key 1, 83North, VGames Venture Partners, and O.G. Venture Partners, saw the company's valuation climb to $200 million at one point.
"After a year or two, the company was worth hundreds of millions of dollars," D. said. "Then, not long ago, Gilad called me late at night, overjoyed, to share incredible news: Playtika was acquiring SuperPlay for $700 million. I didn’t believe him at first and kept saying, ‘Stop lying!’ For three days, I was on a euphoric high."
When the deal was finalized, D. received $400,000 upfront for his tattoos. If SuperPlay meets Playtika's acquisition milestones, D. is set to receive up to $1.2 million. Reflecting on his unique role, D. joked, "If other companies want a mascot, I’m happy to get more tattoos." However, Gilad has drawn the line: "D. offered to tattoo more of our games, but I told him enough is enough."
