Lucra, the leading social competition platform, today announced its first venture in the padel space through a strategic partnership with No Strings, a tech-enabled padel club concept still in stealth that is marrying smart-court hardware with hospitality-grade social spaces. The collaboration embeds Lucra’s white-label technology directly into No Strings’ mobile ecosystem, in-venue kiosks, and on-court screens, empowering players to compete in head-to-head matches, knockout tournaments, and group play for everything from $5 cash to limited-edition sponsored products—all verified and settled in real time.
“Padel is exploding worldwide, yet technology is only just beginning to amplify the on-court fun,” said Michael Madding, chief operating officer at Lucra Sports. “By partnering with No Strings’ computer-vision scoring, we turn every rally into a trackable datapoint and every friendly wager into a friction-free settlement—no spreadsheets, no IOUs. It’s the perfect launchpad for Lucra’s expansion into racket sports, where we can plug directly into existing infrastructure to unlock new revenue streams while being additive to the play experience.”
For Dov Penzik, CEO of No Strings, a successful multi-time founder in the competitive social entertainment industry, the partnership cements the company’s position as a first mover in the sport: “Our technology is built to foster local community and competition through world-class facilities and cutting-edge tech. Lucra lets us amplify that ethos—imagine neighbourhood ladders on Monday, company tournaments on Tuesday, and a $10,000 invitational streamed live on Saturday, all finalized in-app before players even hit the snack bar. Together we’re proving that the future of padel is as much about software as it is about hardware––this partnership marks an exciting and significant step forward for the sport.”
First-of-Its-Kind Advantages
- More visits, longer stays – Venues running Lucra contests typically see guest frequency and average dwell-time increase, thanks to replay features, auto-generated scoring, and live leaderboarding keeping players climbing for that top spot.
- Configurable prizing – Operators can toggle between cash pots, credits, or (sponsor-funded) rewards, driving up average per customer spend
- Zero operational drag – Lucra manages identity verification, geolocation, compliance, and risk, integrating with the Concept’s booking and POS systems in just weeks.
For No Strings, the partnership represents an investment in modern, behavior-driven customer engagement. By leveraging Lucraʼs technology, the platform can reward players for participating in fun, social experiences that drive loyalty and ongoing connection with others.
Through this partnership, Lucra continues its expansion into new verticals, demonstrating the flexibility of its technology to support a wide variety of applications and industries. By meeting players where they are, Lucra is rapidly growing its addressable market and broadening its brand appeal across physical and digital spaces.
With launch planned in the coming months, both companies aim to deliver a best-in-class social competition layer that reminds everyone of the joy of competition and makes every game more meaningful and rewarding for players.
No Strings has now opened its Series A round to fund its launch of and expansion into new clubs across North America. Inquiries can be sent to dov@no-strings.com.
About Lucra
At Lucra, we use competitive play to build brand loyalty. Our white-label platform allows clients to host competitions, create personalized challenges, and provide users’ rewards. Doing so helps to drive visitation, increase engagement, and add more revenue per customer. We handle all payments, compliance, and risk management, allowing clients to quickly implement our solution into their existing app or website. Lucra powers gamification for top entertainment, hospitality, and consumer brands, including Dave & Buster's, Five Iron Golf, Puttshack, TouchTunes, Hollywood.com, and more. For more information, visit www.lucrasports.com.
About No Strings
Founded in 2024 by "eatertainment" and hospitality entrepreneurs Dov Penzik and Charlie Myers, No Strings, Inc. is building a national portfolio of innovative padel clubs that combine elite-level play with elevated social experiences. No Strings isn’t just building courts—we're creating destinations. Through proprietary technology, thoughtful design, and hospitality-driven service, we're making padel more accessible, more social, and more exciting for players at every level. We're changing the game with one goal: to build the dominant U.S. padel club brand. To learn more, visit no-strings.co.
Media Contact
Michael Madding
michael@lucrasports.com
