With stay-at-home orders in place, many of us are turning to one particular medium for entertainment: video games and virtual entertainment. Since quarantine policies went into effect, video game usage has risen by 75%, in addition to a 12% rise in streaming.

Coinciding with this rise in popularity is the publishing of a new patent from 8 Bit Development, a virtual and augmented reality company. 8 Bit Development's patent enables players to wager, via an augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) device, on real-world events displayed on a display device connected with the AR device. The invention supports anonymous betting and cash-out interfaces, enabling users to receive both fiat currencies and cryptocurrency. For players receiving cryptocurrency, the AR or VR device is able to connect to a user's virtual digital wallet or mobile device using Near Field Communications (NFC).

With growing support for sporting events to resume without spectators, 8 Bit Development's technology puts them in a scoring position to not only meet the demands of millions of sports fans worldwide, but potentially transform the sports betting industry altogether.