Since the introduction of blockchain platforms, the world has changed with regards to how transactions are carried out. There are probably very few markets where transactions occur so regularly as they do in betting and gaming. eSports has taken significant strides in incorporating ICO tokens for gaming purposes. The other big area in betting and gambling is Sportsbooks. Bookies have also jumped on board with the new currency system, and although not as quickly as eSports, they too are adopting ICO tokens as a preferred method of transaction.
eSports And ICO Tokens
eSports is essentially multiplayer video game competitions, mostly between professional video game players. This industry has of late, fully embraced ICO tokens as a transaction method for eSports. There are many tokens specific to esports each offering the industry a different solution to various problems. Some of the latest and most progressive of the tokens include Unikrn, Unikoin Gold, DreamTeam, LEAP, Skrilla, and BitQuest amongst many. There is a rapid growth in the number of eSports tokens coming into the marketplace, each offering new and improved solutions.
As eSports and Cryptocurrency continue to grow and evolve into the mainstream, the relationship between the two becomes more obvious in the marketplace.
Sportsbooks Developing Their Own ICO’s
A sportsbook is a place where gamblers can wager a bet on any sports competitions worldwide. The sports on offer for betting include football, horse racing, soccer, basketball, motor racing, rugby, tennis, boxing and the list goes on.
Many sportsbooks have recently begun to develop their own ICO tokens. This is a way of players being able to place their bets safely and securely as well as with anonymity. They are also able to monitor their stakes including wins and losses then. Another advantage is gamblers can communicate with each other and exchange strategies.
Just this year alone we have seen an explosion of sportsbooks launching their very own ICO tokens. Betherium, FansUnite, Extreme Sportsbooks and Wagerr are just a few to mention.
Sports Stars Endorsing Cryptocurrencies
Just recently Portuguese football star, Luis Figo, became the latest sports celebrity to endorse ICO tokens. He has become the ambassador for Stryking Entertainment who are, via their Football-Stars platform, look to tokenize fantasy sport.
Figo came out with a statement which accompanied the announcement of his involvement, “When I heard about Football-Stars for the first time I immediately liked the idea. Football becomes more and more data, driven by detailed statistics about all aspects of the game – this is what Stryking’s platform utilizes to create a compelling fan experience. I am happy to support the experienced team at Stryking and spread the word about their platform that allows fans to engage with the teams and players they are backing,”
He is not the only sports star to endorse blockchain platforms. West German former soccer hero, Lothar Matthaus, is endorsing and helping with the development of TokenStars, a blockchain platform tokenizing celebrities, connecting stars, and fans.
Lionel Messi is an ambassador for Sirin Labs, and Michael Owen announced his investment into GCOX, a crypto token exchange.
On the other side of the ocean, Floyd Mayweather was possibly one of the first super sports stars to get behind cryptocurrency. In July 2017 he went on to social media to promote Stox.com who went on to raise US$30 million.
Floyd calls himself Floyd ‘Crypto’ Mayweather and has since gone on to endorse Centra and Hubii ICOs, although neither survived.
Conclusion
By the very nature of blockchain will we see the two industries, being sports playing and betting, and cryptocurrency, move into a more synergized relationship. The evolution of online betting and playing, as well as that of blockchain based platforms, will see the two instrumentally assisting each other to create a more significant market for both industries.
