Duncan McIntyre (COO), Darius Eghdami (CEO) & Graeme Moore (CFO).

This past August, I joined the FansUnite team as one of their ambassadors.

FansUnite is a protocol for blockchain sports betting applications which aims to revolutionize the sports betting and sports data industries.

FansUnite explained by the executive team and Head Trader Stephen Rothwell.

“Sportsbooks that are not blockchain-based are missing many benefits for operators, bettors, leagues and regulators. Integrity suffers, incentives are not aligned, and middlemen are required. This includes payment processors, the costs of which must be passed on to the end consumer.”

FansUnite has recently forged some significant partnerships which will establish them as the leader in sports data blockchain solutions. Their most recent partnership with the WPT (World Poker Tour) integrates them into brick and mortar casinos, as well as with the eSports community via WPT’s partner QYOU.

FansUnite x WPT.

The WPT partnership will significantly increase exposure for FansUnite through internationally broadcasted television seasons and through live WPT events at casinos across Europe. Casino-based sportsbook operators will be sure to take notice.

In addition to making a name for themselves in the casino, poker and eSports spaces, FansUnite has also recently been announced as the official blockchain sports data partner of 2016 Premier League champions, Leicester City Football Club.

FansUnite x Leicester City.

As a sports fanatic and recreational sports bettor, I have not come across a more promising project in the blockchain space connected to sports, and to sports betting in general.

The sports betting industry is a growing one, and of course, the digital era we live in is a huge catalyst. Nevertheless, despite all the latest available technologies, sportsbooks are still a bit old-fashioned in their way of conducting business.

The sports betting market is expected to see unprecedented growth over the coming years.

You could argue that attempting to earn a significant piece of such a massive market is a lofty task. However, the team at FansUnite embraces this challenge by pushing to partner with innovative operators looking to find unique solutions through blockchain adoption. They truly believe, and have made me a believer, that this is the natural evolution of the sports betting industry, much like the transition from brick and mortar to online betting.

FansUnite’s current raise of funds has led them to be a fixture at sports betting conferences like ICE, one of the most popular conferences in the sports betting industry. Working towards partnerships with the major operators and franchises is at the top of FansUnite’s priority list, which shows how dedicated they are to the long term.

ICE Sports Betting Conference, New York City.

Lastly, something incredibly promising about FansUnite, in my opinion, is that they’ve raised funds solely through private markets, which leads me to my first question:

Darius, your team managed to raise $4.5M CAD without a public token offering. In what way will this benefit the FansUnite now and in the future?

The raise allowed us to hire some high-end talent and focus on the development of the FansUnite Protocol and FansUnite Sportsbook, rather than solely focusing on launching the token. We want to ensure that we are doing everything properly and in a regulatory compliant manner, which means not rushing any aspect of our business.

Unlike most tokenized products, we’re going to have a platform to show the community before obtaining any token sale contributions. We believe this shows the community that we are more than capable of continuously building this state of the art technology and that we are the right team to disrupt this trillion dollar industry.

So how does FansUnite work? How does it differ from a traditional sports book?

FansUnite is a protocol-level standard for sports betting and sports data applications built on the Ethereum blockchain.

This means that the FansUnite Protocol enables sportsbooks, betting exchanges, daily fantasy applications, and anything which touches sports data to benefit from decentralization, smart contracts, the FansUnite Oracle Network, and the inherent benefits of blockchain.

We combine the transparency of blockchain data with a set of developer friendly tools to allow applications on the Protocol to be able to quickly aggregate market information. When all operators have equal access to accurate market data, it breeds innovation and competition in bookmaking.

In today’s marketplace, larger sportsbooks have the advantage of valuable siloed data. Smaller books are forced to pay huge sums annually for data in order to compete. With FansUnite, those costs are a thing of the past, as the data is provided for next to no cost through the use of the decentralized oracle network.

How does this benefit an average bettor?

The centralized sportsbook options available today fail to compensate the bettor for contributing data, which the sportsbook then uses to price their markets. With FansUnite, the oracles are rewarded in FAN tokens for distributing data to the network quickly and accurately.

Bettors can now share in the value creation of their data, unlike anything previously offered by a sportsbook. Additionally, since all wagers are transacted through smart contracts, the bets are executed exactly as intended. The ability to store betting data on the blockchain not only provides ultimate security through immutability, but any discrepancies are easily resolved thanks to the complete transparency provided.

What are the advantages to the operators who build on the protocol?

Adopting blockchain technology, smart contracts, and a decentralized oracle network provides operators the advantage of enhanced levels of security, transparency and auditability. The Protocol lowers costs associated with data acquisition by providing data through a distributed database sourced from the incentivized oracle network. Additionally, the costs associated with payment provision and bet resolution are nearly non-existent. Operators are able to pass their cost savings on to users in the form of more attractive odds or valuable promotions, which in turn attracts more users to their platform.

FansUnite aims to partner with franchises, sportsbook operators, and all businesses associated with sports data in order to deliver results by providing innovative solutions.

Our efforts have been rewarded with several budding partnerships through attendance at gaming conferences such as G2E and ICE.

How close are we to the launch of the FansUnite Protocol? What else is in store for the future?

We are running a closed beta to ensure our product is of the utmost quality as it is being held to the highest standard. Our focus is on vigorous testing and optimizing scalability prior to release to ensure continued success after launching our token. We are working with several partners to build their products and are welcoming potential new partners looking for blockchain solutions.

How can people learn more?

If you’re interested in learning more about FansUnite you can catch us on:

Also be sure to check out our Medium (medium.com/fansunite) for announcements and articles.

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As a FansUnite ambassador, I am sharing content and updates with regards to their protocol development.