The ICC World Cup, held October 5 – November 19, 2023, drove the growth of fantasy sports apps. In December, companies behind fantasy sports reported that their active users increased by up to 60 percent, leading to record traffic and revenues.
Fantasy sports platforms reported the increase of user base increased during the ICC World Cup. Some saw playing users increased by 60 percent on a month-on-month basis, while the new sign-ups grew by 40 percent, with the number of unique users growing by 2.15-fold.
The surge in user engagement on fantasy sports platforms during the ICC World Cup highlights the potential correlation between major sporting events and the popularity of virtual or online experiences.
The increased user base, sign-ups, and unique user growth suggest that significant real-world events, such as global sports tournaments, can drive interest and participation in virtual platforms like fantasy sports. This trend may be indicative of a broader pattern where events in the physical world contribute to the popularity and expansion of activities within the metaverse or online spaces.
Metaverse casinos for immersive gaming experience
Aside from fantasy sports games, the metaverse is also utilized in various sectors, including gambling. The metaverse can innovate the sector, offering numerous benefits.
One of the benefits of metaverse casinos is that they provide an immersive experience. Casinos can create a digital environment that mimics the real world, blurring the lines between the virtual and the real world. With the assistance of VR headsets, users can immerse themselves in the digital world, interacting with the environment. Users can see and experience popular land-based casinos without physically going there.
Another benefit is that metaverse casinos usually have a vast library of games. Players do not need to worry about running out of games to try, for metaverse casinos usually offer many games, from classic games to new ones.
Another benefit of metaverse casinos is that they offer a more personalized experience compared to traditional online casinos. Users can customize their avatars to resemble themselves and even use metaverse cosmetics to make them unique.
The cosmetics in the metaverse usually come as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), which can be integrated into the casinos and become items that can be traded. And since metaverse casinos allow players to use avatars to represent themselves and interact with the environment, players will feel more involved in the game.
The use of VR not only enables players to immerse themselves in the gaming experience but also allows them to interact with other players via text or voice chat. This, in turn, builds a sense of community among the players, something that rarely happens in online casinos without metaverse technology.
The best part of metaverse casinos is that they allow anyone to join as long as they have VR headsets to enter the digital world. Users do not have to worry about geo-location restrictions that are usually imposed on guests at land-based casinos. So, if you are curious and want to know more, you can try out this metaverse casino.
Mixing fantasy cricket with Metaverse
Since cricket is considered the most popular sport in India, there are many fantasy sports platforms coming from the country. One of them is Behaviol, which also added metaverse to the mix.
Co-founded by Sri Lankan cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara, Behaviol was launched in 2022. In an interview with Business Insider India, Sangakkara stated that his motivation to be involved in the fantasy sports business stems from his desire for everyone to have access to cricket.
“Not everyone has the ability to pick up a bat and ball and play. But there’s so much love for this sport. How do we actually make sure that cricket is for everyone? Web-based gaming has a great opportunity for that,” said Sangakkara.
Sangakkara further explained that later on, he and Behaviol’s co-founders developed the idea of Meta11, a cricket fantasy game powered by AI. He mentioned that since all the players in the game are controlled by AI, even cricket fans who never play the sport can still enjoy the game. In Meta11, players can buy cricket athletes and train them to be stars.
“If you own your own avatar, you can expose your avatar to training to more match play, the more experience they get they learn on their own,” said Sangakkara. “It’s a great tool to spread awareness about cricket as well in its globalization drive.”
Sangakkara is not the only cricket player who utilizes the metaverse for the sport. Back in May 2022, David Miller, a cricket player from South Africa, also used metaverse to interact with fans of Gujarat Titans, his then-team.
