If you think you’re good at esports, a new partnership involving the Kansas City Pioneers will let you bet on your skills.
Philadelphia-based PLLAY Labs created an artificial intelligence-driven video game wagering platform that allows competitors age 18 or older to play head-to-head and bet on the action, with the winner getting all the prize money. The Pioneers, Kansas City’s professional esports team, now will collaborate with PLLAY to grow esports betting.
Sports and fantasy sports betting is a $10 billion market in the United States and projected to grow dramatically in the next decade. Esports represents a huge new market for wagering.
“Our partnership with PLLAY gives us an opportunity to be in a highly addressable market for us,” Kansas City Pioneers CEO Mark Josey said. “We know we have fans in esports who are already engaging in one-on-one wagering. But this makes it simple, easy and protects the integrity of the match.”
PLLAY acts as a virtual referee, using AI to monitor matches, identify winners and dispense prize money. It removes concerns about opponents quitting before the end of the game to avoid paying off their bet.
“There’s also a tournament component, where maybe instead of just one staccato moment, there could be a crescendo with everyone trying to get into the finals for a big payoff,” Josey said.
PLLAY Labs was founded in February 2018 by Shawn Gunn and Christine Krzyzanowski. The platform supports Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Madden 21, FIFA 21, NBA 2K21 and Fortnite, on both Xbox and Playstation consoles.
Josey said the Pioneers hope to activate the partnership with “Pros versus Joes” events, giving gamers an opportunity to try and match their skills against professionals.
“Almost everyone plays Call of Duty,” Josey said. “The Pioneers have a couple of folks who are really, really good at Call of Duty, so maybe you could buy The Pioneers token pack and join a tournament with an opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world.”
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