Jason Ziernicki’s path to founding Cleatz was far from linear, but every detour taught him something about building media businesses in specialized markets. After years running casino affiliate sites and a successful $25 million exit from his sports betting media company in 2020, he is capitalizing on an opportunity in sports betting that nobody was fully exploiting.
From Daily Fantasy to Sports Betting Media
Ziernicki’s entrepreneurial journey began in digital marketing and web design before he built Warwick Gaming, a network of daily fantasy sports sites that made him one of the top affiliates for DraftKings and FanDuel during the daily fantasy boom of 2015-2016. His expertise in SEO-focused content and high-converting landing pages generated a multi-million-dollar revenue stream from an audience of tens of thousands.
When the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports gambling in 2018, Ziernicki recognized it as a massive opportunity. Shortly after the ruling was handed down, he partnered with Kyle Laskowski, founder of popular Philadelphia sports blog CrossingBroad.com, to form CBWG Media Group in 2020. Within 10 months, the combined entity grew to $5 million in annual revenue, becoming the largest independently owned sports betting affiliate marketing network in the United States.
The bet paid off quickly. London-based XLMedia acquired CBWG for $25 million in late 2020, including stock and performance-based earnouts. Both founders continued working for XLMedia post-acquisition, but Ziernicki was already eyeing his next venture.
Identifying the Props Betting Gap
After the acquisition, Ziernicki spent time analyzing the sports betting media landscape. The 2018 PASPA decision had opened sports betting across the United States, and player props quickly became one of the most popular markets.
By 2022, props betting accounted for nearly 40% of handle at major sportsbooks, yet media coverage remained superficial.
According to Ziernicki, most sites were either publishing basic picks with no methodology, or treating props as an afterthought buried in broader sportsbook content. He spent months analyzing competitors and talking to serious props bettors, finding consistent feedback: they wanted analytical depth, data-driven insights, and coverage that treated player props as seriously as game lines.
That gap represented his next opportunity.
Lessons from Previous Ventures
Ziernicki’s casino affiliate experience taught him critical lessons he applied to Cleatz. First, traffic vanity metrics can be misleading. A site with 50,000 monthly visitors and minimal engagement creates less value than 5,000 highly engaged visitors. His Warwick Gaming success came from building a dedicated, conversion-focused audience rather than maximizing raw traffic.
Second, community trust matters more than SEO in specialized markets. While his SEO expertise helped him rank for competitive terms in daily fantasy sports, Cleatz’s growth has come more from community engagement, social media, and word-of-mouth within serious props betting circles.
Third, maintaining credibility requires discipline. “Promoting inferior products for higher commissions destroys trust faster than anything,” he says. With Cleatz, he maintains strict standards about partnerships and recommendations, prioritizing long-term credibility over short-term revenue.
Entrepreneurial Evolution
Ziernicki’s progression from web design to daily fantasy affiliates to sports betting media to props-focused publishing reflects a consistent pattern: identifying underserved niches within growing markets, building specialized expertise, and creating value through depth rather than breadth.
His experience co-hosting the Monetize Media podcast, where he interviews content creators about growth and monetization strategies, has reinforced these lessons. Common themes emerge from successful creators: capping downside risk while pursuing opportunities, focusing on sustainable competitive advantages, and building authentic audience relationships.
The Future of Props Coverage
As more states legalize sports betting and casual bettors explore player props, Ziernicki sees growing demand for sophisticated analysis. But his vision for Cleatz isn’t mass market appeal. Rather, it’s serving serious bettors with proprietary data, advanced metrics, and research-level analysis that helps them find edges.
“The next generation of betting media will look more like financial analysis. It’ll be highly data-driven, methodologically sound, and focused on process over outcomes.”
