Flares: Diamond Painting, a Must-Have Mask Accessory, and Sports Gambling’s Mobile Future

Nick DeSantis

Source: Subreddit Stats

Who says you need an artist’s training to create a masterpiece?

Diamond painting is one of the art world’s “up and coming, addictive” crafts. So declares the r/diamondpainting subreddit, which has blown up in the last 2 months, to ~25k subscribers. That’s 10x the size of the community at the start of 2020.

What exactly is diamond painting? Think of it like a mix between cross stitching and painting by numbers. Artists apply small rhinestones to a canvas, to create original mosaics or recreations of famous works. Canvases can be as small as a regular painting or big enough to dominate a living room

Many companies (like DiamondXpres and Paint by Diamonds) make kits aimed at beginners, but there’s plenty of opportunity to sell supplies and accessories to diamond painting enthusiasts.

What exactly is diamond painting? Think of it like a mix between cross-stitching and painting by numbers. Artists apply small rhinestones to a canvas, to create original mosaics or re-creations of famous works. Canvases can be as small as a regular painting, or big enough to dominate a living room

Many companies (like DiamondXpres and Paint by Diamonds) make kits aimed at beginners, but there’s plenty of opportunity to sell supplies and accessories to diamond-painting enthusiasts.

Lanyards Are the New Must-Have Mask Accessory

Etsy is minting mask millionaires. The COVID pandemic has powered huge demand for face coverings, and some amateur crafters are making 7 figures selling masks.

But there’s another mask-centric opportunity emerging, in the realm of accessories. Search interest in mask lanyards is exploding:


Source: Google Trends

These lanyards can be worn around the neck, and they’re designed to keep your face covering clean and close at hand. They’re especially helpful for kids, who might be prone to ripping off their mask, losing it, or leaving it behind at home.

According to Jungle Scout, Amazon searches for mask lanyards are up 239% over the last 30 days, with mask clips, chains, holders, and straps all seeing rising interest, too.

Sports Gambling Apps Are Going Mobile

In January, we wrote about the explosive growth in sports gambling (one of our most popular articles this year). The trend continues to sweep across the US, and the industry could hit $81B by 2030.

Last week, a new sports gambling app made a huge splash: On Sept. 20, sportsbook app downloads hit an all-time single-day high, powered by the debut of the Barstool Sportsbook app.

According to Apptopia:

  • The top mobile sportsbook apps in the US have been downloaded 3.4m times so far in 2020 -- that’s on pace to top 2019’s total of ~4m downloads.
  • In its first week, the Barstool Sportsbook app was downloaded 53.6k times -- more than fantasy-sports titans FanDuel and DraftKings saw at launch combined (26k).

More signs that sports gambling is making big inroads in mobile and social:

  • ESPN just launched a YouTube channel dedicated to sports betting, and a digital show called “Bet.” 
  • Stock Sanity is a new, bracket-style contest that pits stock pickers against one another, with cash prizes for the top performers.

With the casino industry still hurting because of the COVID pandemic and American pro sports just a few months into their revival, expect to see more recreational gambling options on the horizon. One example: FOX Bet Super 6 is letting users wager on what will happen in tonight’s presidential debate.

Read our report to see where the growth is in sports gambling and to learn how to capitalize on the boom.

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