Sony Interactive Entertainment has patented its own online betting system, according to a patent that was filed in 2019 and released this month. In theory, the patent could be used to allow live betting at eSports events like the Evolution Championship Series, or EVO, the largest and most prestigious fighting game tournament in the world. Sony purchased EVO in March.
According to the patent, the system would use the history and record of any competing player or team to determine the odds, and then offer those odds to players watching gameplay. The system could look at the single game being player or the player’s entire history, including win-loss records in separate titles.
In addition, the platform would be able to access game data to determine odds. “For example, video may be searched to identify where in the video a virtual grenade has the possibility of killing one, two, or three characters,” according to the patent. The system would then provide the odds for those scenarios. The platform could also offer a variety of specialty bets (such as match length or how much more time it will take a player to win) and even allow friends to bet against one another. It might even allow spectators to choose their own odds instead of just working with the ones in the system.
It’s worth noting that, like any patent, there’s no indication that this system will actually be implemented. It’s interesting coming from a company that just bought EVO, though.
