Gurhan Kiziloz, known as G, the founder of Lanistar, used to go out constantly, hitting the clubs, hosting parties, attending movie premieres and HBO-televised prizefights. He was a presence on the scene in London. He traveled with an entourage. He employed bodyguards.
But now in a high-rise office in São Paulo, the British entrepreneur sits at the helm of Megaposta, one of Latin America’s online betting powerhouses. The company posted $400 million in 2024 revenue, reflecting both Brazil’s shifting regulatory environment and Mr. Kiziloz’s persona as a risk-taker.
Mr. Kiziloz’s business ideas often begin with a widely felt consumer frustration and back into a solution. Yet for all the figures and future plans bandied about in glossy investor decks, the story of the 30-something Mr. Kiziloz starts far from the glitzy ads that now pepper Brazilian billboards and television channels. Born and raised in England, he enrolled at London Metropolitan University but dropped out to pursue a career in entrepreneurship — an early decision that would come to define his appetite for uncertainty.
Mr. Kiziloz spent several years as a sales trainer, conducting high-energy seminars across the European continent and Dubai. Former colleagues recall his “larger-than-life” coaching sessions in which he preached not just sales tactics but a dogged, can-do spirit.
“He was animated and intense,” one ex-associate told me, who asked not to be named. “He’d talk about the importance of speed. He wanted to get from idea to action faster than anyone else.” That velocity, however, would soon push Mr. Kiziloz beyond the realm of sales education into the more high-stakes world of tech and finance.
In 2019, Mr. Kiziloz launched Lanistar, a London-based fintech startup. The company courted controversy almost immediately. In 2020, the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued a warning about Lanistar, prompting headlines that questioned the young entrepreneur’s promises. Although Lanistar ultimately secured FCA approval, the challenges underscored Mr. Kiziloz’s pattern: unafraid to jump headlong into markets where regulations were still catching up with technology.
It was the kind of professional blow that might have deterred a more risk-averse founder. Instead, he pivoted once again — this time to an industry where the pace of revenue could outstrip almost anything else: online gaming.
Mr. Kiziloz took the reins at Nexus International, the parent company of Lanistar and Megaposta, and set his sights on Brazil. With local regulations in flux, Brazil had become a proving ground for international betting firms, all racing to carve out market share before potential clampdowns. Industry analysts estimate the Brazilian market will be worth $2.6 billion by 2026, making it the largest gambling frontier in Latin America.
Under Mr. Kiziloz’s leadership, Megaposta has pursued an unrelenting growth strategy, just as Lanistar pursued in 2020 via thousands of social media influencers. Mr. Kiziloz himself is more muted online: posting little on the internet.
Outside the United Kingdom — where regulators strongly discourage crypto-based wagering — Megaposta openly touts Bitcoin and other digital tokens for slot machines, blackjack, and sports betting. This dual-site model, commonly called a “white-label” arrangement, involves operating one version of the platform in jurisdictions where crypto gambling is allowed, while showing a different, more conventional website (with no mention of crypto) in places like the UK. In Brazil and other parts of the globe, the platform heavily promotes the allure of crypto wagers, championing anonymity and speed.
Meanwhile, the UK Gambling Commission demands strict know-your-customer processes, which complicates direct crypto usage. Mr. Kiziloz’s ventures therefore operate within a complex patchwork of regulations, adopting a more traditional betting interface where required — and a crypto-forward model where permissible.
But for Mr. Kiziloz, this navigation of legal gray areas is a feature, not a bug. He attributes much of his success to a combination of business audacity and the “faster thinking” that he says comes from ADHD. “It forces me to think faster, move quicker, and take bigger swings,” he told the International Business Times.
It’s a strategy that has paid off. It’s not clear if Mr. Kiziloz is a billionaire, but he appears to have reaped hundreds of millions over the years. The Jerusalem Post estimated his wealth at $700 million — although market variables and the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies make pinpointing such figures difficult.
Brazilian lawmakers are expected to finalize regulations around online gaming soon, and global watchdogs often turn a critical eye to aggressive expansion in emerging markets.
Still, Megaposta remains a way from Mr. Kiziloz’s dreamy predictions of $1.45 billion in 2025 revenue. But as the man at the table who never shies from an all-in bet, he appears determined to roll the dice.
