BOTS, Inc. (OTC: BTZI), (“BOTS” or “The Company”), a global technology conglomerate specialized in Blockchain-based solutions including decentralized finance applications, cybersecurity, crypto generation, mining equipment repair, extended warranty contracts, and its upcoming proprietary Metaverse based on the terrestrial Las Vegas, VEGAS.MV, announced today strategic investment in XR Casino, Inc.

XR Casino is the first technology company specialized in Extended Reality (XR) cross-technology casino gaming, XR game development solutions, and NFTs for the iGaming and sports betting industries. Its patent-pending platform is currently in development and plans to leverage AI, Blockchain, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, and Virtual Reality technologies to provide unparalleled gaming experiences and value-added services.

XR Casino completed the MVP versions of its initial games, Blackjack, Roulette, and Slot Machine in AR, MR, and VR, during 2021 and is on track to launch its social casino games and NFT store in Q2, 2022.

BTZI is the first strategic corporate investor in XR Casino and will be leveraging its technology to launch AR, MR, and VR casinos and casino games-as-a-service (GaaS) on its upcoming Metaverse based on the terrestrial Las Vegas.

“XR Casino’s proprietary technology and games deliver the immersive casino gaming experiences of the Metaverse to anyone with an AR-enabled smartphone, AR/MR glasses or VR headset,” commented Simon Rubin, chief executive officer of BOTS, Inc. “We believe AR will lead the way in connecting people to the Metaverse and through our strategic investment in XR Casino we will be able to bring together players using AR, MR, and VR in our upcoming Vegas.mv Metaverse, regardless of the technology or equipment they are using.”

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“We are excited to have BOTS, Inc. as our first strategic corporate investor and look forward to launching our games on their Las Vegas-themed Metaverse,” commented Dan Martinez, Founder and CEO of XR Casino, Inc.

Virtual reality (VR) technology comes as a new phenomenon. It’s leading the way that most people will play games in the future. A report issued in April 2021 from Brandessence Market Research claimed the global VR gaming market would be worth almost $52.7 billion by 2025.

Recent research by Mordor Intelligence titled: EXTENDED REALITY (XR) MARKET – GROWTH, TRENDS, COVID-19 IMPACT, AND FORECASTS (2021 – 2026) indicated that The Extended Reality (XR) Market is registering a healthy CAGR of over 62.67% during the forecast period (2021 – 2026). The extended reality (XR) market is being impacted by COVID-19, primarily due to multiple factors that include physical lockdowns, essential e-commerce delivery limitations, brick-and-mortar retail closures, and supply chain disruptions (supplier, manufacturer, distribution, wholesale, retail), and economic impacts.​ Further, a player such as Avnet Inc. has implemented operating cost-saving restructuring plans, including plans to reduce operating costs by USD 75 million annually by the second quarter of FY 2021. Avnet expects to use cash for restructuring, integration, and other expenses. Such initiatives are made to tackle the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. ​

Extended reality (XR) is currently an emerging umbrella term that encompasses immersive technologies, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and other future realities such technologies might bring.​ The increasing demand for reducing the distance between people and richer visual content is driving market demand. According to a recent survey by Accenture, 80% of the business executives believed that it is essential to leverage XR solutions to bridge physical distance during employee engagement.

Companies are also developing supporting technologies for XR platforms, which are forecast to global commercialize XR technologies. In January 2019, Northern Digital Inc., a global manufacturer of 3D measurement and motion tracking solutions, launched its new electromagnetic sensor-fusion tracking technology for the XR platform: Atraxa. ​

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Identifying a great potential in the XR domain, several companies have established their XR product lines globally. For instance, Qualcomm has developed First Responder XR Glass that uses inertial, haptic, environmental, and health sensors, eye-tracking cameras, bone conduction transducers, and other components aimed for more intelligent and faster interaction with the environment. ​

Microsoft developed HoloLens 2, a hands-free mixed reality headset that is a guiding force for XR’s existence. It enables 3D visual training, hands-free video calling, and generates a virtual floor or room plan map.

SharpLink Gaming and Quintar have announced a partnership to integrate their respective technologies to produce an AR experience that combines live sporting events with real-time sports betting for sports fans.

Quintar was founded by former Intel Sports executives, Sankar “Jay” Jayaram and Jeff Jonas. Among other impressive career accomplishments, the pair previously founded virtual reality firm Voke, which was acquired by Intel in 2017 and became a foundational aspect of the technology titan’s sports division. Developed by Quintar’s team of industry veterans from NBA Digital, Turner Sports, Sportvision, and Magic Leap, among other iconic companies, Quintar’s proprietary “Q.reality” is a device-agnostic platform designed to deliver sports fans with new, highly dynamic interactive experiences. Using a combination of long-range registration to place accurate, dynamic AR content on the field, court or course, and live stereoscopic streaming, Q.reality allows content creators and rights holders to deliver personalized, social, and gamification experiences for fans on mobile phones, televisions, and AR wearables.

SharpLink’s technology development team will work with Quintar’s team to create a fully turnkey platform that will allow sports bettors to participate in live sports events via AR, check game data, compare betting lines, socialize with friends, and place bets with multiple sportsbook operators. In addition to integrating their respective proprietary technologies – SharpLink’s C4 engine and Quintar’s Q.reality – SharpLink is tasked with architecting the backend gamification features, including registration, scoring, grading, and leaderboard, among other technical elements. Quintar will be responsible for developing the interactive AR elements that are synchronized to playing surfaces and can be viewed on mobile devices when at the sporting venue or streamed via 3D video to a table-top in a living room. The proposed new platform will be able to be integrated into iOS or Android apps or into an exclusive app built around a specific AR device.

Rob Phythian, Co-Founder and CEO of SharpLink, said: “This is truly game-changing innovation at its finest and will result in SharpLink and Quintar delivering sports fans with an unprecedented, interactive, game day experience when engaging with and betting on their favorite sports, teams and players. I have known Jay and Jeff for years and firmly share their belief that through development of cutting-edge technology, the opportunity in AR-enhanced online sports betting could be highly disruptive to the industry. Moreover, given our combined industry experience and similar spheres of influence with key decision makers in sports media, we also share the belief that growth opportunities for both our companies could prove to be potentially limitless in the long-term.”

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Jayaram, CEO of Quintar, said: “The global Extended Reality market, which includes AR, is expected to exceed $125 billion by the end of 2026 and, according to market research firm Statista, reach 85 million AR users in the United States, alone, by the end of 2023. When combined with the forecasted $150 billion market opportunity in U.S. sports betting, the long-term value proposition presents explosive growth potential for enterprising companies taking the lead in delivering technology-enabling solutions to fans, sports media operators and sportsbooks. Sports fans are becoming increasingly demanding and expect entertainment, fun and information alongside their desired content and viewing experiences. Marrying in-game sports betting with the thrill of AR is, in our opinion, an obvious combination and one that is going to have measurable impact on the world of sports for years to come.”