Unikrn is the new esports venue for people to go spectacte, chat, look up stats and - most importantly - bet on the action. Also: it's pronounced 'unicorn', but I'm sticking with my initial thinking of 'oonerkrn'.
Created by ex-Microsoft Ventures general manager Rahul Sood, Unikrn is partnered with big names like Razer, HP and CBS Interactive, and offers "a safe, legal, and a fun arena for anyone to gather, game, and bet on esports". Unless you're in the US, that is.
See, Unikrn can only offer gambling to areas where that's actually legal, meaning most of the United States isn't able to take part in its unique selling point. There is still reason to visit though, it seems: "It’s important that we have international traffic, but it doesn’t mean people in the US won’t be using our system," Sood told GeekWire, "You can register, you can win prizes, and you’ll be able to watch and see the odds and chat. You just won’t be able to bet."
Right now Unikrn only covers matches in League of Legends, but there will be more titles added in future for us all to throw our money away on. Matches can be streamed on the site itself, while stats, live odds and betting tendencies can be browsed alongside a bunch of other stats.
What do you think of this move? Are any of our US readers going to bother with the site, considering they can't actually use it for its main purpose? Do the secondary functions tempt you? And what about those of us who can bet there? Are we going to be talking about our Zerg-rush accumulators and each-way DOTA 2 tournament finishes?
