Saad Ullah
Bowling Blockchain
Founded in 1864, the Lancashire Cricket Club holds an important place in the history of the Cricket game. The club revealed its intentions of selling tickets completely using the modern technology of blockchain in a press release. It said that the ticket sales platform has been developed along with the technical expertise of SecuTis, the ticketing service provider for the club.
The club and the service provider had tested the blockchain service in a test pilot last year with positive results. With use of the technology, the club intends to tackle the sale of fake tickets, a very common issue in the popular British game. Jonathon Nuttal, the club’s head of ticketing and technology said,
During the 2019 season, over 80% of tickets bought at Emirates Old Trafford have been made online, compared to less than 50% in 2018 so it’s vitally important that we continue to improve the digital ticking technologies to ensure we make things as easy, and as enjoyable, as possible for those supporters booking with us.
Christened TIXnGO, the blockchain platform offers a secure way for cricket fans to purchase tickets. The tickets are available in a digital form and are smartphone friendly; creating a traceable ticket that cannot be replicated or sold off further. This eliminates the chance of both fake tickets and a black market, where the tickets are sold at a higher price.
Blockchain technology addresses many of the ticketing issues that both sports organisations and fans alike face,” David Honby, Managing Director of the SecuTix UK said, “TIXnGO creates a unique, encrypted ticket for smartphones that is completely traceable, removes the risk of counterfeit tickets and simplifies the process of transferring or reselling tickets for the customer.
Blockchain in Sports
Blockchain has seen a rise in the use of blockchain, especially in the betting arena. Apart from games that are directly employing the use of blockchain, many other sports and associated firms are also starting to use the technology. Sacramento Kings, the NBA team, announced recentlythat fans will be able to take part in auctions of in game merchandise using a blockchain platform.
Nike, the sports gear giant, has also patented a concept of using blockchainfor “downloadable mobile applications for providing access to crypto collectibles, crypto art and application tokens”.
In the world of motor sports, the luxury sports car brand Lamborghini announced last Novemberthat it will be using the decentralized technology powered by the Hyperledger based SaleForce Blockchainfirm to authenticate its heritage cars, ensuring that legal owners are properly identified during transfer of ownership.
Saad Ullah
