The adoption process for any new technology is a demanding ordeal even when the same piece of hardware or software is clearly superior. For example, The 7th Guest and Myst, both legendary games, needed to come out in 1993 to convince people they should start buying CD-Rom drives for their PCs. The same type of mentality continues to be prevalent in the modern world as well, even though humanity might seem super-open to everything and anything tech.

Esports is not immune to the same problem. During the last couple of years, the entire domain has been pretty happy about its ability to bring in both players and spectators. The numbers are confirming this growth and even the gap between traditional sports and their electronic cousins is diminishing. But, could it be that the same growth rate is only a gentle curve compared to the skyrocket potential of esports when it is combined with versatile platforms offering crypto betting in the same field?

Esports, Blockchain, and Cryptocurrencies

Recently, Unikrn an esports cryptocurrency betting platform managed to achieve a new important milestone. This startup has already attained the backing of investors like the billionaire Mark Cuban as it fights to reach the position of the dominant esports betting platform. Now, it was legally registered on the Isle of Man as a cryptocurrency betting company targeting esports. This means that it will be able to legally offer its services to all supported countries where it will accept wagers in traditional currencies, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, but also its own native crypto token.

The same versatility applies to the betting process as well. With the platform, the players will be able to place bets on individual players, teams and an even whole event like tournaments. But, this is not the true killer application potential. Instead, the killer app is the possibility of placing bets on yourself in a particular supported esports game.

A Whole New Playing Field

The possibilities of this seemingly regular option are enormous. Sure, groups of friends could wager between themselves on anything since the dawn of time if they can agree on the rules and odds. But, with the blockchain tech, this can be applied to any level and among complete strangers.

Imagine this scenario - an individual in a US college reveals that they placed $100 on themselves to win a particular Fortnite match at a particular time. The news about this spreads through the school and the intricate social relations begin to form a response to the news. Some dismiss it, saying that the same person has no chance of doing this - at Unikrn, or some other platform, they can wager on whatever outcome they desire. Others might follow the person’s bet if they are friends or simply want to support a bold move like that. Some might be complete strangers to the person, but believe that they can actually win the same match.

As a cascade reaction, the information about this event multiplies and propagates. On the day of the match, all those with wagers will be watching it, but so will many others who just want to see what happens or what the whole deal is about. The outcome is irrelevant, but the weight of the process showed how powerful it could be – an otherwise meaningless match suddenly has its invested audience.

Like always, the potential for a scenario like this might seem far-fetched. However, the history of killer apps shows that many of them simply appear from thin air for the people at that moment. Personalized cryptocurrency wagering might be just that for the current esports ecosystem.