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July 27, 2006 |
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| Virtual games a step closer to reality | |||
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Since its inception, sports wagering has been tied to actual sporting events, much to the chagrin of professional sports leagues who usually want nothing to do with betting. What if there was a way to grant their wish and still be able to bet on the outcome of an event? That is the premise behind virtual sports wagering, where the actual winners and losers of “sporting events” are determined by a random number generator. The concept has been around for years, but only now is the technology in please to create a virtual sports event that has the look, feel and excitement generated by the real thing. One game provider looking to make a big splash in this field is Barcelona-based Gextech with its “Fantastic League” virtual soccer game platform. The company’s Smart Stitch proprietary technology allows it to integrate servers dedicated to random number generation, film editing and graphics storage to create a “live” sporting event with fixed odds wagering that can be accessed through devices ranging from interactive TV to mobile phones. At the Global Interactive Gaming Summit & Expo, which took place this past May in Montreal, Gextech announced it has signed a deal with Skybet to broadcast Fantastic League games in the UK and Ireland. The program will debut on Sky Vegas Live later this year. Viewers will be able to bet on the game though an interactive TV account or over the cell phone. “We will create a virtual show with a virtual moderator and virtual expert to run with the virtual game,” said Mark Campbell, group chairman of Gextech. “One season will last one week with games and playoffs. We’ve made it as close to real live football as possible.” --Paul Doocey |
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