Unikrn, Inc. announced that it has been approved for a wagering license in the Isle of Man that will allow its esports betting platform to offer bettors legal wagers on competitive video games.
“There is finally a legitimate, regulated operator in the space that has a pretty comprehensive offering,” Unikrn CEO Rahul Sood told the Associated Press. “It’s huge.”
Unikrn has begun rolling out its esports betting platform to 20 countries, and will soon bring esports wagering to most of Europe, South Korea and other Asian countries, and parts of Latin America. Certain types of esports betting will also be available in the U.S.
Unikrn had previously only been licensed to provide real-money betting on esports in the U.K. and Australia.
In countries with legalized sports betting, Unikrn users will be able to make odds bets on major esports competitions, like last weekend’s League of Legends World Championship.
Unlike traditional sports books, the esports platform will also offer skill-based bets. Esports contestants can bet on their own abilities in games such as Fortnite, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and League of Legends.
Once they have verified their age and location, users can link their game to the Unikrn platform, and then Unikrn will generate odds for the player based on his or her profile within the game. Players can place a bet on the Unikrn website into a mutual pool, play their next match, then come back to the site to claim their winnings or make another wager.
In America, skill-based betting will go live in 41 states as part of Unikrn’s product rollout, although a date for the U.S. unveiling hasn’t been made public. Esports spectator betting will not yet be available in the U.S.
