• 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.

Company boosts business development team to support COVID surge in crypto gambling

 DAOGroup, the iGaming cryptocurrency and blockchain solutions provider, has geared up to capitalise on the return of mainstream sports betting by significantly strengthening its business development team.

The company unveiled its flagship product, DAOWallet, in early 2020, delivering an advanced cryptocurrency-fiat gateway that enables operators to offer third-party cryptocurrency transactions without the need for additional AML and compliance procedures.

With a surge in demand for crypto gaming in recent months, DAOGroup plans to unveil a suite of new cryptocurrency and blockchain-based gaming products to help operators attract an increasingly diverse player base across global markets.

In line with its ambitious plans to establish itself as the industry’s partner of choice for crypto and blockchain solutions, the company has hired Yelena Kensborn as Sales and Marketing Executive and Adam Lee as Business Development Manager.

Yelena brings a wealth of blockchain marketing experience to her role, having worked across Europe, Asia and LatAm. Joining from Lucky.io, the Malta-based blockchain casino where she served as Head of Community and PR, Yelena will be tasked with building the company’s brand ahead of its upcoming launches.

Adam Lee brings with him a proven commercial track record from across the UK B2B tech industry and will be focused on driving the company’s sales operations. Both will report to DAOGroup’s recently appointed Chief Commercial Officer, Glen Bullen, an iGaming veteran with over 20 years’ experience across senior commercial roles.

Commenting on their appointment, Glen Bullen, CCO at DAOGroup, said: “I’m very pleased to be strengthening the company’s commercial team at this key time, when demand has never been higher.”

He added: “As expected, we’ve seen a strong increase in the demand for crypto-gaming products during the recent lockdown, with operators taking this time to ensure they are best-positioned when gaming returns to full speed.

“We’re here to help the industry benefit without the compliance headache, and I’m thrilled to be welcoming Yelena and Lee aboard. Both are strong individuals with proven credentials who will no doubt be key in helping our partners appeal to an even broader player base as mainstream betting returns.”