Australian cricket legend Brett Lee has become the brand ambassador of the cryptocurrency sportsbook Sportsbet.io.

In his role as Sportsbet.io ambassador, Brett will lead a series of dedicated cricket promotions giving Sportsbet.io users the chance to “Bet with Brett.” Promotions will include special cricket quizzes, the Brett Lee “Awesome Foursome” and a dedicated casino cashback. Brett will also provide Sportsbet.io users with in-depth analysis from the world of cricket.

“Speed was always my greatest weapon throughout my career, which is why partnering with Sportsbet.io is such a perfect match. And like Sportsbet.io, playing fair was always important to me. These guys make sports betting fun, fast and fair, so I can’t wait to get involved with some exclusive promotions and provide some insight from my experiences at the very top of cricket,” Brett Lee said.

“Brett Lee is nothing short of a legend of the game. There were few greater sights in cricket than watching the fear in the eyes of batsmen as Binga approached,” Justin Le Brocque, Head of Sportsbook Marketing at Sportsbet.io, said.

“So we are bowled over that he has joined team Sportsbet.io. As well as a terrifyingly quick bowler, Brett is a natural entertainer and a true gentleman; we couldn’t think of a better match for our sportsbook. Players around the world can look forward to some fantastic Brett Lee promos, and the chance to hear from one of the biggest characters in the game,” Justin Le Brocque added.

• Crypto advantage allows sportsbook to offer commission-free bets
• Adds to other benefits blockchain technology provides to players

One crypto sportsbook is using the English Premier League’s return to demonstrate how blockchain technology helps it to offer customers fairer prices to maximise their winnings.

Cloudbet, the pioneering bitcoin operator, recently announced that for each remaining game in the EPL season, it would charge no commission on pre-match bets for 1000 players, allowing them to access the best odds — and therefore the highest returns — on the market.

The “zero-margin” campaign grabbed the attention of some seasoned industry observers, who questioned the sustainability of essentially giving up pre-match profit for the 92 remaining games in the season. It also draws attention to how Cloudbet leveraged its crypto background to offer players the fairest prices on the street, contrasting against a backdrop of improbable odds and gimmicks used by some operators that have dented the industry’s credibility.

The answer for Cloudbet lies in the blockchain technology that underpins its operations, and has helped it generate substantial savings from avoiding costs faced by fiat operators. Cloudbet passes on these savings to players by extending generous bonuses or, in the EPL case, removing the margin it charges on sports events.

Leading up to the Arsenal-Manchester City clash on June 17, Cloudbet had odds of 8.77 for a Gunners victory and 1.39 for a City win, compared to the average of 8.36 and 1.36, respectively, of five sportsbooks compiled by Bitedge.com. Cloudbet priced a draw at 5.88, compared with the book average of 5.74.

The EPL campaign is an extension of the operator’s long-standing “best odds” campaigns that feature margins as low as 2% on sports including soccer, basketball, American football and mixed martial arts.

“Ultimately, we’re aiming to make sports more engaging for our players and what better way to supercharge the experience than by offering the best prices that are mathematically possible,” a Cloudbet spokesman said. “The primary reason that we can do that is because of blockchain.”

The capacity to provide fairer pricing is yet another expression of the empowering and democratising characteristics of blockchain for the gaming industry. It’s another clear benefit the technology offers players, on top of the more widely touted faster transaction times, secure fund storage and privacy protection.

Founded in 2013, Cloudbet has been making waves since relaunching itself in late April. While it has built a legacy as a trusted bitcoin operator, the firm has taken a bold step toward making the new Cloudbet.com more accessible to mainstream players with the addition of USDT betting, along with easy credit-card coin purchases. Cloudbet also accepts ethereum and bitcoin cash.

Besides soccer, the new Cloudbet.com offers odds on a multitude of sports and esports markets, while the Cloudbet casino has hundreds of slots and a live-dealer experience with all classic table games.