Resistance is often found when a new, revolutionary technology comes along and has the potential to change everything, and some people tend to be stuck in their ways – in the case of cryptocurrency and blockchain there have been some big developments in a relatively short space of time, and this leads to challenges in the industries being disrupted. Companies need to make significant changes if they are going to switch to crypto and allow people to use this as a payment method.
Esports Gambling
Esports move quickly and people need the ability to make speedy transactions, too. Crypto means moving money around is super fast, which suits esports games. Dota and LoL specifically have speedy developments and changes, and people like to bet in play while the games and tournaments change. With crypto transactions, players can react to a change in the Dota 2 odds for an ongoing tournament as the money is moved quickly.
Similarly, players of games like Dota 2 and LoL also tend to be early adopters. These games draw an audience of people who are tech-savvy and won’t be put off by the fact that crypto is a new technology. Esports draws a very technically-minded audience that may already hold crypto.
As well as traditional casinos providing new ways to play with crypto, there are specific cryptocurrency casinos, and it is thought that around 50% of transactions using Bitcoin are now in the gambling industry, which shows just how popular it has become in this industry. It isn’t just esports gambling that is driving the growth, people can bet on traditional sports as well as esports games like Dota, LoL, and Valorant.
Charities
Charities rely on people’s generosity and willingness to part with their own money, and with more digital payment methods people who are collecting cash for charity are not having as much success.
Charities are looking to accept the top cryptocurrencies as this gives them an option to try to make up for a lack of cash donations in modern society. People don’t carry change on them as much to throw into collection boxes.
Fortunately, the option of accepting crypto has been made easier in recent years and charities as huge as UNICEF, Red Cross, and the American Cancer Society are all allowing people to donate money in cryptocurrencies. Another benefit of this can be that crypto has the potential to gain value, while this isn’t guaranteed, the industry is predicted to continue growing and this means that embracing the option to allow people to deposit however they want is just a sensible option for charities.
Digital Commerce
“Digital Commerce” is a very broad topic, but this is one of the areas that is embracing cryptocurrency the fastest, sometimes with help from middleman services.
Some digital commerce platforms are now crypto only, meaning that items are sold with pricing in Bitcoin or other popular cryptocurrencies, and this also allows people to see the cost and never have to transfer their money into a flat currency to buy items. People can buy everything from cameras to groceries in this way, depending on the retailers.
The middleman services that facilitate this are payment providers that effectively make a currency exchange, allowing people to pay in the currency they want, while the retailer can get paid in the currency they want. For example, the retailer might not be ready to have digital wallets or accounts that deal with crypto but want to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The middleman takes the payment, deposits it to the retailer in dollars, and takes a cut. Everyone is happy.
Shopify and other digital platforms for people to start selling can easily be adapted to accept cryptocurrencies, so even smaller retailers have the option to let their customers pay in a convenient way.
Online Games
We’ve already discussed the gambling industry, but the wider gaming industry is also a way for people to use cryptocurrency and even embrace some other blockchain technology. As well as many online gaming platforms allowing people to pay for games and add-ons with Bitcoin and crypto, some others also provide ways for players to earn digital, virtual currencies or even NFTs. NFTs can provide a different way to play and sometimes have a specific mechanic in the game, such as providing a specific tool within the game that is totally unique to the player. These can create a trading and exchange market, too.
Conclusion
Many more industries are embracing Bitcoin and crypto to varying degrees. We’re in a strange age where a lot of businesses and industries know that they need to offer the option for their audience, but haven’t fully adapted to the sweeping changes yet. However, industries like esports, gambling, and gaming are ahead of the curve, and charities are also adapting to allow people to pay them in whichever way they see fit.