[ICO] ANN Zensports Peer-to-Peer Sports Betting

[TheCraMan]

[1713946767]

1713946767

[TheCraMan]

Stay Active And Be Entertained Like The VIP That You Are

It’s a Wednesday afternoon in the office, and you’re sitting in your drab and gray cubicle chomping on the bit for the weekend to finally just get here. The boss is being a pain, your colleague keeps scheduling meeting after meeting that you don’t have time for, and you swear if you have to read one more Slack message, you’re going to take one of the Keurig coffee pods and throw it at someone. All you want is a break and to be entertained like a VIP for all of the hard work you feel like you’re constantly exerting in your life.

You look past your cubicle into the commons area, and notice a couple of co-workers playing at the recently-installed pool table. Looks like fun, you think to yourself. As your mind continues to wander back towards the weekend, you begin to think about how to best give yourself a break from both your overloaded work life, and from the same old clubbing scene that you usually find yourself gravitating towards.

Playing some pool and doing something different sounds like fun. But for as wonderful (and expensive) of a place as the Bay area is to live in, it’s somewhat perplexing how limited the nightlife and entertainment options can be.

There are only a couple of pool rooms in the area, and none of them seem particularly appealing given how run down the equipment and aesthetics are, the fact that most of them only serve beer, and the lack of technology / difficulty in booking a reservation that they all have.

If only there was a recreational sports and entertainment facility that combined mobile reservations plus cool in-facility technology like live streaming and virtual sports equipment. Maybe even a robot concierge/bartender that attended to all of your needs. You could stay active, be entertained, and treated like a VIP, all at the same time. Now that would be cool.

As luck would have it, you happened to get an email this morning from the mobile app ZenSports that you signed up for awhile back. You love ZenSports because it makes it super easy to book membership passes and reservations at local sports facilities. The problem is, most of the sports facilities in the Bay area are run down, dreary, don’t have full liquor licenses/bars, and are pretty low-class. Not exactly the kind of VIP experience you were hoping for this weekend.

Maybe Vegas is sounding like a better option instead . . .

The thought of Vegas is quickly dashed from your mind, though, as you glance at the first sentence of the email, where it talks about ZenSports’ new recreational sports and entertainment facility that it just opened up. No way! This is exactly what you’ve been looking for, especially if their new facility is as cool as their mobile app is.

You scurry to read the rest of the email, which describes what your VIP experience will be like playing and having fun at its new facility:

Your ZenSports experience starts with booking a reservation through the existing mobile app to play at our facility. Our app will automatically charge your credit card for your reservation, book your requested date/time, and even send a ride sharing car to pick you and your friends up without you ever having to open your Uber or Lyft app. Once you arrive at our location, everything you need will be available within the app, including ordering food/drinks, live streaming and broadcasting yourself to friends as you play, and keeping track of your scores and statistics.

You’ll then head on over to your reserved table of ping pong, billiards, or any other game of your choosing to begin playing with your friends. From this point on, you’ll find yourself swatting augmented reality ping pong balls, using mixed reality pool cues, and wearing gloves and headsets that help improve your form and analyze performance. Human and robotic concierges will attend to your every need while you play, and treat you like the VIP that you are.

Out of breath but invigorated from a couple hours of playing, you and your friends decide to lounge around one of our beautiful cocktail bars. While there, you tap a couple of buttons in the ZenSports app, and boom, out comes your favorite refreshing cocktail prepared and served by a robotic bartender. Not only was your Moscow Mule prepared in less than a minute, your credit card was automatically charged, and there was no hassle or waiting for someone to take your order or make your drink.

Halfway through finishing your drinks, you and your friends realize that you’ve been having so much fun that you completely lost track of time. Oh well, that’s ok. You’ve been feeling like a VIP for the past few hours, and you realize just how much you deserved to be entertained and pampered with a 5 star experience that didn’t break your bank account.

After downing a second Moscow Mule (that robot bartender knows how to make them just right!), you decide that it’s time to finally head home. Simply snap your fingers and a ZenSports concierge automatically orders your Uber or Lyft car to take you home. Once back in the comfort of your living room, you reflect on how great of a time you just had, and how there’s finally an experience for recreational sports and entertainment that 2018 would be proud of.

Welcome to ZenSports.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssss you think to yourself. This is finally what you’ve been looking for. You pull out your ZenSports app and book a reservation for you and three friends this Saturday night. Took about 30 seconds and there was no need to plan a trip to Vegas, get on a plane, or spend thousands of dollars on a country club membership in order to be a VIP. That kind of experience is now waiting for you right here in the Bay area at a cost that won’t break your bank account.

Game on.

https://www.zensports.com

[TheCraMan]

A cryptocurrency with a plan: ZenSports

As a fan of ICOs, and someone who actively participates in the ICO market, I’ve grown fond of teams with a clear cut plan. ZenSports, a project that plans to allow peer-to-peer sports betting, has specific goals for the funding that they raise. Something that is very rare in a startup environment.

Learn more here: https://docsend.com/view/4urtzeg

[TheCraMan]

ZenSports, a peer-to-peer revolutionary sports betting marketplace, plans to capitalize upon a $120 billion industry. By reducing the costs of bookmaker fees, ZenSports will allow users to place bets for low rates never seen before. Finally, the middle man can stop stealing my winnings!!

Is ZenSports the future of sports betting? https://www.zensports.com/

[TheCraMan]

Overcoming Challenges in Sports Betting with Blockchain

author:

Hayley Davison

Since the American courts ruled in favour of legalizing sports betting in May of 2018, companies across the world have rushed to get ready for the changes to come. Sports betting will not only change the current industry but also have ripple effects across almost all sectors.

The ruling itself legalized what is estimated to be $150 billion USD worth of once-illegal betting on professional and amateur sports. Now that sports betting is on track to legalization, that revenue and potentially more could be made in this emerging industry.

While betting is traditionally tied to card games and casinos, most sports betting happens online through programs and applications. Sports betting itself is often more about skill than it is about luck.

This means that in order to fully legalize it, the process has to be as much about data as it is about betting. The focus will be on building out the software to support oddsmaking, new types of betting, and financial necessities in addition to the existing legal requirements.

Changes in the industry
No matter if you enjoy betting or not, the legalization of sports betting will probably affect you. The implementation of sports betting into our lives has the potential to be one of the most important and most visible test cases for digital transformation that we’ve seen to date.

An evolution like that requires a lot of work. Some large companies, like Bovada and William Hill, have already been successful in the field and will now have to adapt under new regulatory changes. Others are beginning to emerge, giving them the advantage of being able to both adapt and grow with the industry, and implement new technologies into their platforms faster than established organizations can.

One emerging platform called ZenSports is creating the world’s largest peer-to-peer sports betting marketplace. On the platform, anyone can create and accept bets for live sporting events with anyone else in the world. While this seems like a lofty goal, through blockchain, smart contract technologies, and cryptocurrencies they’re offering a better experience to bettors across the globe.

What makes ZenSports unique
Over 1,000 online sports betting products already exist in the marketplace, but less than 40 of them accept cryptocurrencies. Of those 40, none of them use smart contracts or peer-to-peer betting. ZenSports incorporates both crypto and blockchain technology into their platform. In doing so, ZenSports mitigates issues with outdated payment systems, limited types of bets offered, and odds stacked in favour of the sports book.

By allowing users to fund their online accounts with cryptocurrencies, the process of placing bets becomes easier and joining fees are reduced. Funds in users’ accounts are protected through smart contracts, which act as an escrow for currencies exchanged through ZenSports.

ZenSports also is unique in that theoretically users can place an almost infinite type of sports bets and set their own odds for said bets. When a user creates a bet, it then becomes available for anyone else on the platform to take. When each bet is made, a smart contract is created, locking all parties into the bet. A decentralized token economy allows bettors to self-report results and the marketplace to resolve all disputes (oracle system). This removes the need for a centralized bookmaker and properly incentivizes all parties to act in good faith. Smart contracts handle all payouts and keep track of bets so users can feel confident their funds are secure and will never be handled by a malicious third party. Because the entire process is taken care of through smart contracts and blockchain technology, users are able to manage the end-to-end betting process by themselves.

ZenSports’ decentralized sports betting network is emerging at a unique time in the market. Sports betting sits at an unusual intersection of all of the major tech trends that are driving digital transformation, including digital security, blockchain, data, predictive analytics, mobile development and more.

By incorporating these elements into a new sports betting platform in time for changing legislation, ZenSports could revolutionize online sports betting and lead the way for similar platforms to follow suit.

[TheCraMan]

By: Hayley Davison, MLG Contributor

This piece is part of a collaboration with MLG Blockchain Consulting,  a leading global blockchain development and consulting firm headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with a distributed team across North America, Europe and Asia that is focused on building next generation applications using blockchain and smart contract technology.

The legality of sports betting has long been contested both in the US and across the globe. But with the May 14th ruling in favour of legalizing sports betting in the US, things are about to change.

Whether you enjoy betting or not, the legalization of sports betting will probably affect you in some way or another. Coupled with the enhanced digital technology of today, sports betting will look completely different than how it looked twenty, ten, or even five years ago.

The industry as it is today
The sports betting industry currently generates about US $120B in revenues. With the loosened legislation around sports betting in the US and innovations in the industry, it is predicted that within five years the industry will generate between $300B and $400B annually.

Over the years, gambling has evolved significantly. With the rise of the internet, one can place a bet online, from a mobile phone, without visiting a casino. Now, with the development of blockchain and smart contracts, the gambling industry is undergoing another major shift. 

One of the most significant digital transformations has come from the implementation of blockchain in sports betting. Due to its secure, decentralized design, blockchain opens doors in the realm of sports betting that was a mere idea in the past.

How blockchain is changing sports betting… for the better
Through the implementation of the blockchain, the payment methods can be simplified down to sending funds through your digital wallet, placing bets digitally, and then easily be paid out by sending funds back to your digital wallet.

Blockchain’s decentralized ledger also enables safer transactions and creates trust due to its transparent nature. Sports bettors no longer need to go through unreliable third parties to place bets or transfer funds. The open transparency also mitigates the risk of betting houses from setting up their users to fail. The decentralized technology offers a type of digital transparency between platforms and users that never existed before.

Which betting platforms are using blockchain?
Many betting platforms, both established and emerging, are beginning to implement blockchain into their design. While some are succeeding, less than 40 platforms accept cryptocurrencies and none of them use smart contracts or peer-to-peer betting.

With the evolving adoption of blockchain technology, sports betting is about to undergo a major transformation.

ZenSports is an emerging peer-to-peer sports betting marketplace that utilizes blockchain technology and enables users to create and accept sports bets without a centralized bookmaker. ZenSports aims to become the world’s largest platform for sports betting through smart contract technology, blockchain and cryptocurrencies.


While outdated payment systems result in additional fees and delays for bettors, using cryptocurrencies to fund betting on ZenSports reduces almost all of that start-up hassle. ZenSports also allows bettors to set the odds and parameters for almost any type of bet imaginable – a feature that would never have been possible without blockchain. Every time one of these bets is made, a smart contract is formed. The smart contract sets the rules for how a bet is won or lost, who gets paid out, and other important details that need the kind of transparency blockchain allows.

Disputes within the platform are settled through its own tokenized economy. Bettors are penalized for self-reporting incorrect information and users who vote with the majority on disputed results are rewarded. Through this method, users feel a deeper sense of connection with the marketplace and help to keep their peers accountable.

Conclusion
The unique features of ZenSports allow users to self-manage the entire end-to-end betting process. Through secure, decentralized data storage, blockchain enables platforms like ZenSports to offer bettors flexibility and transparency to make their bets.

Whether it is peer-to-peer betting, betting using cryptocurrencies, or being involved in the betting process from beginning to end, it is undeniable blockchain will have a notable effect on the sports betting industry as a whole.

 

[TheCraMan]

Learn more about ZenSports use of smart contracts at:

[TheCraMan]

3 ICON DAPPS FIGHTING THE FUD

Read it here:

https://theicon.ist/2018/11/05/3-icon-dapps-fighting-the-fud/

[TheCraMan]

Tune in for ZenSports interview with Coin on Nov. 12 7 PM PST!

[Krezz2017]

It seems to you that you are too clever writer - philosopher? Maybe it is so. But, while I read to the end, I forgot about what was written at the beginning. The ancient Greeks invented conciseness. Express laconic - this means a minimum of words, maximum meaning. The project is good, but marketing verbal chatter is annoying.

[AltcoinWire]

We invite you to bring your project to our exchange, Altmarkets is a Cryptocurrency 6,000 members and over 100 coins listed. Focusing on lower-tier altcoins we push each coin listing with social media announcements as well as to our growing social channels.

Our BCT Announce: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4687148.0
Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/p4NwBdE

Request a listing with us via the above thread / announce post or visit http://www.altmarkets.cc - We aim to reply within 24 - 48 hours.

[TheCraMan]

Click below for full article:

[TheCraMan]

Stripe’s Decision To Cut Off ZenSports Is Why We Need Cryptocurrencies

The email from Stripe’s support team came on November 5th:

Because of the new legal peer-to-peer sports betting features that ZenSports launched on September 12, 2018, Stripe had made the decision that they were cutting off ZenSports from all further credit card processing using its third party API. Cutting us off without any kind of real research into the exact nature of our business. Cutting us off without reading the legal opinion on how everything we’re doing is completely legitimate and legal. And cutting us off without any warning whatsoever and leaving our customers in a complete lurch so that effective immediately, their payments could no longer be processed within ZenSports.

This kind of blanket authority should send chills down everyone’s spine. A centralized figure head or group of people at Stripe were able to come up with a policy to ban businesses that it finds unsavory or doesn’t approve of, despite the fact that those businesses are 100% legal. While any company can of course choose to do business or not do business with any other company for any reason, the decision to not do business because one doesn’t “approve” of the nature of someone’s new product suite (even though it’s 100% legal) is scary.

We need cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to eliminate Big Brother’s control

So what can be done about the overreaching nature of these financial tech giants that want to exert their control over the little guy? The solution lies within the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

Cryptocurrencies are a form of digital currency that use a distributed, online ledger called the blockchain to manage sending payments from one person to the next. The blockchain is “decentralized”, which means that it’s fully run and managed by technology without a centralized authority telling people how they’re allowed to send money or for what purpose. With blockchain and cryptocurrencies, you can send money to another person through ZenSports or via any other application, and you can do so for any reason — without having to get any person’s or company’s approval saying that you’re allowed to do so. You, the people, have full control over the management of your money. Which is how it should be.

As part of ZenSports current Token Sale, ZenSports will actually be launching its own cryptocurrency token next month and integrating it into our product in Q1. Anyone can purchase our cryptocurrency tokens, use them for anything they want within our app, and not have to worry about some out-of-touch executive saying “sorry, you can’t do that” or “we don’t want your business”. The power is yours to send and receive money whenever and however you want. There will also be the ability to exchange these tokens back to fiat (government currencies like dollars) if anyone so chooses.

We concede that despite the myriad of frustrations around traditional, centralized payment solutions like Stripe, that the entire world is not yet ready to begin using crypto. For those that still prefer paying for products within ZenSports using traditional fiat, we’ll be implementing a new, gaming/betting friendly credit card processor who will have no problem taking our or your business. This will happen in the next 30–45 days (we’re currently vetting out different providers).

Even though cryptocurrencies haven’t gone mainstream yet, it’s decisions like these from Stripe that hammer yet another nail into the coffin of centralized payment authorities. People will not be denied the ability to pay for legal, legitimate goods just because these financial service providers refuse to join the 21st century. Time is on the side of crypto, blockchain, and decentralization — not Big Brother telling everyone what they can and can’t do with their money.

Try sending me a cancellation email on that one.

If you need any further clarification about Stripe’s decision, please contact their support team directly at support@stripe.com or on Twitter @Stripe. You can follow ZenSports on Twitter @TheZenSports

[TheCraMan]

Blockchain in sports betting could provide a new kind of fan experience

With the recent legalization of sports betting in the US, many professionals in the industry are waiting in anticipation to see what happens next. Big changes are happening across the sector, which could affect how fans interact with the sports they love.

While traditional gambling brings to mind slot machines, smoky casinos and dealers running card games, today’s world of sports betting is extremely far removed from what gambling once was. Ted Leonsis, former AOL exec turned sports mogul, said it best when he compared sports betting with trading stocks.

“I liken sports betting more to Wall Street. I don’t believe it’ll be considered a game of chance,” says Leonsis. “I think it will be a game of skill, just like you can be a day trader - you can be at Goldman Sachs, making billion-dollar bets on companies.”

As sports betting moves into the mainstream, legalization opens new doors for the industry. For example, fans could be able to place bets in real time.

Imagine visiting a place specifically designed for sports betting. Like a casino, but more advanced. A space outfitted with the latest viewing technology, with screens showing games and matches from around the world and bettors being able to place bets as each play happens. Traditional sports bets can still be placed, but opportunities for additional prop bets keep fans engaged throughout the game.

This is the future Leonsis believes is coming.

Eventually, sports betting will become the norm in arenas across the country. Fans will be able to place bets from their seats and updated odds will appear on the jumbotron in real-time during the game. Soon every fan will be able to place bets straight from an app on their phone, no matter where in the world they may be.

But with increased online betting comes increased data collection. Fans’ data will be collected by teams, by betting platforms, and even potentially by other bettors. Because of this, it is essential for platforms to be backed by a secure, decentralized network to ensure users’ data is secure.

Blockchain technology as the backbone for sports betting platforms allows bettors to feel confident that their data is safe. As an added bonus, blockchain also ensures there will always be a record of the bets they placed.
Some companies have introduced blockchain technology into their sports betting platforms already. One platform, ZenSports, sees the potential of blockchain in sports betting, and how it could allow for a new kind of fan experience.

Through the use of cryptocurrencies and smart contracts, ZenSports lets users place peer-to-peer bets without the need for a centralized bookkeeper. Because of blockchain’s efficient structure, it allows users to place bets in real time.

Platforms backed by blockchain, like ZenSports, provide users the opportunity to place bets on anything, and to set their own parameters and odds on each one. Smart contracts are created each time a bet is made, and these inform how a bet is won or lost, who gets paid out, etc.

The platform has partnered with ICON, one of the world’s largest blockchains, to build smart contracts and allow bettors to use SPORT, ZenSports’ own cryptocurrency, or ICX as an alternative to traditional funds. Using cryptocurrency to place bets is cheaper (as there are little to no upfront fees), faster and more trustworthy for bettors.

A platform like ZenSports shows us what the future of sports betting may look like. Rather than sitting back and watching passively, allowing play-by-play betting means fans will stay attentive throughout the entire game or match.

With the opportunity to place any bet they want, with anyone they want, bettors have more opportunities to engage with their favourite sports than ever before.

Decades ago, professional American leagues were publicly opposed to sports betting after dealing with match-fixing and point-shaving scandals. But after public approval and the recent legalization, most have now come around, with the NBA and MLB leading the way. It won’t be long before all leagues see the potential for sports betting.

With new technology and legislation comes a new fan experience. The potential for real-time sports betting, whether from the comfort of your couch or the stands of an arena, will bring fans into a new era of professional sports.

[TheCraMan]

Former NBA commissioner David Stern hopes to see legalized betting expand in U.S.

Play video here:

Former NBA commissioner David Stern, a longtime ardent opponent of sports betting legalization, said Thursday that his position has evolved to a point where he now hopes to see legal sports betting expand in the United States.

Stern, speaking to a crowd at the American Gaming Association's Global Gaming Expo on Thursday in Las Vegas, said the notion that gambling will lead to bad things is "outdated."

Read the full article here:

http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/17678528/former-nba-commissioner-david-stern-hopes-see-legalized-betting-expand-us

[TheCraMan]

Coin Interview with Zen Sports

ZenSports is a peer-to-peer sports betting marketplace where anyone can create and accept sports bets with anyone else in the world, without the need for a centralized bookmaker.

[TheCraMan]

Mark Thomas, Co-Founder & CEO of ZenSports, explained their product to be an in-game and real-time betting DApp for traditional games. Their philosophy is: "sports are more fun when there's money on the line."

Click to play

[TheCraMan]

Click to play

Rosse Gates of Alphagrowth interviews Mark Thomas of ZenSports at Epicenter during SF Blockchain Week.

[TheCraMan]

Click to Play

Check out ZenSports' presentation at Acceleprise NYC Demo Day in June 2018 from our Co-Founder & CEO, Mark Thomas.

[AlexaSonda]

I am still confused between ICX and Sports tokens, so you will create 2 tokens? What's the difference between the both?