Despite the increasing controversy over loot boxes, Sony doesn’t seem to be too worried about the potential repercussions of intertwining gaming with gambling. That’s according to a newly published patent filed by the gaming giant back in 2019, which outlines an eSports betting platform that would allow viewers of fighting game tournaments and other competitive events to make wagers using money, virtual currency, bitcoin, and/or in-game items such as game assets. Betting would be conducted via a user interface overlay that is brought up during streamed events.
Interestingly, the patent was not exclusively focused on Playstation, as it also references “game consoles such as Sony PlayStation or a game console made by Microsoft or Nintendo or other manufacturer virtual reality (VR) headsets, augmented reality (AR) headsets, portable televisions (e.g. smart TVs, Internet-enabled TVs), portable computers such as laptops and tablet computers, and other mobile devices including smart phones”.
Sources: PatentScope, IGN