OHK Labs Launches SportsPicker Challenge for Bragging Rights and Prizes

BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports fans have something new to cheer about as professional and college football swing back into action and the MLB postseason approaches: SportsPicker Challenge, a revolutionary new platform that lets friends compete for bragging rights and real prizes. Developed by OHK Labs, SportsPicker Challenge puts the excitement back in MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA football and basketball, EPL, MLS, and EUFA Champions soccer by giving Facebook friends a venue to pick winners and root for their chosen teams.

Unlike fantasy sports games, which focus on individual player statistics and distance fans from real teams, SportsPicker Challenge return sport fans to their roots, giving them an added reason to cheer for their team on game day. Players can also display their skills over time, choosing their favorite sport, inviting Facebook friends to play or joining prize challenges to make predictions on game outcomes.

SportsPicker Challenge features a unique scoring system that takes the odds into account: A victory by the favored team earns 100 points, and underdog team wins earn between 125 and 200 points, depending on the odds of winning. The player who has the most points at the end of the challenge period takes home bragging rights in their challenge and gets to flex their superior game-picking abilities.

Those who participate in prize challenges can also win large prizes, including gift cards from Amazon.com, SportsAuthority.com, BestBuy.com, ScoreBig.com and more. Three lucky football fans will take home EA SPORTS Madden NFL 13 for picking the most winners in the NFL's opening week. A sponsored challenge from ticket reseller BestBetTickets.com will be giving one football fanatic a pair of tickets to an NFL game of their choice as well. To date, OHK Labs has planned over $10,000 in prizes.

SportsPicker Challenge was inspired by SportsPicker CEO Oren Kantor, an avid sports fan who wanted to extend the excitement of March Madness beyond the tournament period. Like many sports enthusiasts, Kantor was involved in fantasy leagues and online sports prediction games, but he found those venues ultimately unsatisfying: 

"With fantasy leagues, the games become meaningless, because the only thing that matters is individual player stats," Kantor said. "Also, fantasy leagues require a lot of time – players have to keep up with who is starting and make substitutions all season long. That can take the fun out of the game. With SportsPicker Challenge, it's all about team performance and the player's skill in picking winners. SportsPicker Challenge gives a bracket challenge feel to all sports."

SportsPicker Challenge enables players to set reminders for when they need to make picks, but the function is customizable to eliminate the possibility of information overload. Another key advantage to the platform's design is that, unlike many online sports prediction games, SportsPicker Challenge doesn't penalize players if they break a streak with a single bad pick. The results are cumulative over the duration of the challenge, so players' overall skills are rewarded with bragging rights among their Facebook friends and the possibility of winning valuable prizes.

SportsPicker Challenge is completely free to play, and users can access the platform via Facebook or by downloading the free iPhone app. The OHK Labs team recently wrapped up a beta testing phase that generated a lot of user excitement, and the company expects membership to grow exponentially as the sporting world heats up this fall.

Sponsorship and technology licensing opportunities are available for companies that want to capitalize on an innovative new Pick'em technology with mobile capabilities that engages audiences and offers prize contests. Learn more about OHK Labs and the new SportsPicker Challenge platform at http://www.sportspickerapp.com/.

About SportsPicker
SportsPicker is a sports prediction technology platform that enables sports fans to compete against Facebook friends or in prize challenges. With a unique points system that rewards skill and a focus on team outcomes that puts the fun back in the game, SportsPicker returns sports enthusiasts to their roots and lets them compete for bragging rights and valuable sponsored prizes. SportsPicker is a product of OHK Labs, a mobile application development studio founded and led by Oren Kantor, a sports fanatic looking to create the similar excitement of filling out March Madness bracket challenges year-round. Learn more at www.sportspickerapp.com.

SOURCE SportsPicker