A new reality
METAVERSE: A PATHWAY TO A NEW GAMBLING SCENE? THE METAVERSE. A massively scaled and interoperable
network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds which can be experienced synchronously and persistently by an effectively unlimited number of users. Enough to send the imagination into overdrive! But what are the implications for a gaming sector that has its roots very much in the real world? BY JAMES ROSS
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o paraphrase Marvel’s Doctor Strange - the metaverse is a concept that we know frighteningly little about. To put it as plainly and simply as possible, this is a virtual reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. But as the world is well
46 SBC LEADERS • MARCH 2022
aware, nothing is as straightforward as it seems. Question marks still remain on how, or if, the metaverse will work in numerous sectors; online gambling is no exception to this. But one person who is optimistic about its potential is Mark Robson, CEO at Eminence Holdings, who believes that online gambling “will work better in the metaverse”.
Robson noted that through the metaverse, things such as onboarding, payments, and locating favourite slots will be made much easier. Moreover, the CEO stated that sportsbooks will become “much more exciting”. He continued: “Traditional sports betting can already be done when you’re at the venue of the event taking place, but the metaverse will blur the lines between real life and cyberspace through virtual and augmented reality. “From a business perspective, there will be far more opportunities to crosspromote, target your advertising and create a better winning feeling and more excitement for customers.” Another optimist regarding the metaverse was Ben McDonagh, CEO and Co-Founder of Green Jade Games, who remarked that by being “less Black Mirror and more hopeful”, this
