RARER THINGS

A little side project we’ve been up to!

Marcus Holmström and I will be discussing all things Roblox later today at SBC as we explore how his company, The Gang has become one of the platforms largest studios. The Gang famously works with Vans, FIFA, Wimbledon, (USTA) United States Tennis Association, IKEA, McLaren Group, National Hockey League (NHL) and Spotify amongst many others. What do these brands know that igaming companies could learn from? #sbclisbon #gaming #innovation #igaming

Excited to be speaking to Karolina Pelc tomorrow afternoon here at SBC. A visionary within the igaming space who had a single-minded mission to ... ‘… transform solo game sessions into engaging multiplayer entertainment experiences with the community, sharing and togetherness at heart.’ Not only did she build a hugely successful business that delivered her vision, but she went on to sell BeyondPlay (Part of Fanduel) to the world's largest gaming group in under three years! #sbclisbon #innovation #igaming

Anyone interested in the intersection of Web3 and igaming shouldn't miss my chat with Ishan Haque, founder of Shuffle from $0 to $2bn in handle in 18 months! From the early days of Satoshi Dice, which was built onchain with provably fair RNGs and self-custody of funds (no deposit and instant winnings) to the rise of fully fledged crypto casinos primarily using crypto to solve various payment pain points (Yolo Group, Stake) to the rise of a new breed of Web3 casinos using tokenisation, digital assets, community, crypto trading, new game types, and much more. Shuffle is a great example of this new breed having reached $2bn in monthly handle since launching. Making them one of the fastest growing operators anywhere in the world. I’m excited to find out more about the team (who had no prior gambling industry experience), their vision and their Web3 inspired product roadmap. #SBCLisbon #Innovation #web3 #igaming

It was a lot of fun talking all things poker ♥️ and reminiscing about my 10+ years at PokerStars ♠️ with Shahar Attias, Chris Straghalis, Gregory Gorelik and Andreja Svensek. Since our conversation, two thoughts have come to me... 1) Poker ♥️ = skills for life So many entrepreneurs that I meet have played poker, invariably at some point on PokerStars ♠️. I don't think this is a coincidence; rather, the blend of psychological and strategic skills, as well as the ability to ride out both good and bad luck, on the one hand, 🙌 attracts entrepreneurial types to the game and on the other 🙌 teaches the skills required to be a successful entrepreneur. Poker is different, and it's a shame Operators don't embrace it more seriously. 2) Poker ♥️ = community Poker ♥️ has always been a highly social game played around a table with others. This is more obviously true IRL at big events or in a casino, but even online, the fact that you are playing against others is palpable and a very different experience from playing directly against the house. With the rise of next-gen crypto casinos 🎰 like Stake and Shuffle, crash games from the likes of SPRIBE ✈️ and innovative twists on traditional games like BeyondPlay (Part of Fanduel), community is taking centre 📸stage in the gambling industry. And it's about time, too. Poker ♥️ can teach operators much about nurturing and growing a genuine and authentic community. It is also no coincidence that the rise of crypto casinos born from the Web3 world where community is king 👑 are bringing their knowledge and skills in this regards to bear. The next generation of gamblers will and is already demanding more from the industry, not least that they can feel part of and contribute to a genuine community of like-minded individuals and Operators that all share the same passion.

Why hasn't sports adopted Web3 and the metaverse? Highlights from a panel I recently hosted on the sports industry's use of decentralised technologies and the metaverse. With an A-list lineup of industry experts ... Bertrand Levy (Vice President Global Licensing & Brand Partnerships, The The Sandbox) Marco Kowalewski (Founder, STARZZ LLC) Samuel Huber (Founder & CEO, Landvault) Why Adoption Hasn't Happened at Scale Yet: 💻 Technological Barriers: Sam highlighted that current technological limitations, such as the need for advanced hardware and high-speed internet, prevent widespread access to metaverse experiences. 👨 User Behavior and Mindset: Marco noted that many people are still unfamiliar or uncomfortable with immersive digital environments, which slows down adoption rates. 🚨 Regulatory Uncertainty: Bertrand pointed out that the lack of clear regulations surrounding virtual worlds and digital assets creates uncertainty, making businesses hesitant to invest heavily in the metaverse. What Needs to Change: 💸 Cost Reduction: Reducing the cost of entry by making affordable hardware and software solutions available, enabling more people to participate in metaverse experiences. 🎓 Education and Familiarization: Investing in educational initiatives to help users become more comfortable with immersive digital environments and understand their benefits. ⭕ Simplified User Interfaces: Developing more intuitive and user-friendly interfaces to make navigating the metaverse easier for users of all technical skill levels. What the Future Holds: 📱 Broader Accessibility: Sam emphasized that technological advancements will reduce the need for high-end devices, making metaverse experiences accessible to a wider audience. ⭐ Enhanced Fan Engagement: Marco predicted that sports teams will leverage the metaverse to create deeper connections with global fan bases through immersive and interactive experiences. 💰 New Revenue Streams: Bertrand discussed the potential for the metaverse to generate significant new revenue streams for sports organizations, potentially surpassing traditional methods like ticketing and broadcast rights. I'd love to hear your opinions?? #DigitalInnovation #Metaverse #Blockchain #SportsIndustry

Here are six key highlights from my interview with Mark Epps, Director of Communications and Web 3 at the ATP Tour: ⚾ Web 3.0 Interest: Initially inspired by NBA Top Shot, the ATP saw financial and fan engagement potential in Web 3.0. ❤️ First Project - Love: "Love," a generative art collection, sold out in 20 minutes, leveraging tennis data to create unique art pieces. www.art.tennis 🎾 Constraints Drive Innovation: Due to player IP constraints, ATP focused on data-rich, simple, and impactful projects. 🖼 Second Project - Posters: Despite lower-than-expected success, the co-created physical-digital posters project pushed boundaries and offered learning opportunities. ⭐ Future Vision - Loyalty Program: The ATP aims to build a blockchain-based loyalty program to better understand and reward fans. 🎓 Educational Role - Mark emphasizes the importance of educating stakeholders about Web 3.0's potential for the future of tennis. Mark's insights reveal the ATP's innovative approach to embracing technology to find new ways to drive fan engagement. If you're in sport and looking to innovate we would love to talk to you RARER THINGS. #sportsindustry #fanengagemet #disruptivetech #innovation

I attended the Media.Monks and Google AI 🤖 Marketing Workshop this morning and my takeaways were… It was a great conversation between Matt Brittin and Sir Martin Sorrell on the state of the nation when it comes to AI 🤖 and marketing as a whole. It’s still early, and scalable use cases are still hard to come by (think blockchain!), but experimentation was very much the recommendation for anyone or any organisation interested in exploring. Increased speed, reduced cost, and better results are already showing up in AI 🤖 enhanced content and data-driven marketing workflows. Consumer-facing applications seem more limited, and the few examples I have seen feel gimmicky. Moving forward brands will increasingly need to free up time and resources through the efficiencies AI will drive. This however will not be enough and only those that carefully and creatively redeploy these savings into truly differentiating their products, brands, and consumer experiences with the aid of technologies like the internet, AR, VR, gaming, AI where applicable and ownable assets will come out on top 🏆. Better to start small, now and fail fast than watch others steal your lunch! #martech #brand #ai #disrutpivetech S4 Capital Group

Slow 🐌 then all at once💥... Lost in the increasingly politicised speculation that the SEC is about to approve an Ethereum ETF in the States today the UK approved both Ethereum and Bitcoin ETPs yesterday. … Tradifi 💵 is embracing crypto 🪙 #adoption #crypto #regulation

Pink Moon Studios and Web3 gaming as a whole is about to take on the traditional game studios and their titles for... … playability🕹️ … ownership 📜 …. financial rewards for participation 🪙 Game on!! #kmon #web3 #gamingindustry