Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has registered a patent for a betting platform on May 13, 2021, according to a report by Vida Extra. Filed by Michael Chow, the patent for an esports betting platform will likely provide several probabilities surrounding the bet. Mr. Chow is a machine learning engineer for PlayStation.
The Japanese multinational conglomerate has been advancing into the esports industry by acquiring Evolution Championship Series (EVO) in March 2021 earlier this year. The registration of the patent marks yet another manoeuvre in the esports industry.
“Odds for various propositions concerning the play of a computer simulation are determined and presented to a viewer for pecuniary or non-pecuniary wagering purposes. The odds may be determined using past game analytics, or may be determined parimutuelly,” read an abstract from the registered patent.
The platform will likely host pecuniary as well as non-pecuniary bets. In simple terms, the platform will allow users to place bets with real money as well as virtual in-game items. Several games like DotA 2, CS:GO and TF2 have in-game items which are eligible across betting platforms.
The report further argued that filing a parent needn’t necessarily implicate that the company is bound to develop a betting platform. If they do so, the critics will, of course, disapprove of their actions.
Esports and betting haven’t gone along well. The esports betting industry, alongside the gambling industry, has been a cause of several controversies in the past. Many states have proposed various legislations to oversee loot boxes or crates.
