There's an easy way to bet on competitive video games
Competitive gaming is big enough now in the US that it's catching ESPN's attention, so it stands to reason that you'd want a way to bet on those virtual matches, doesn't it? Ex-Microsoft manager (and Engadget Expand panelist) Rahul Sood thinks so. He just launched Unikrn, a site that makes it easy to wager on eSports. If you live in a country where the company will accept bets (currently Australia), you can plunk down real cash and win jackpots, much like you would with conventional sports betting. You could make a tidy profit betting that a low-ranked League of Legends team will defy the odds, for instance. Even if you live in the US and other nations where real bets are illegal, you can still sign up and win prizes.
It's a gamble, both figuratively and literally, but Unikrn does have some early support. The startup has already acquired two companies to get its betting system off the ground, and it has partnerships that include Sood's old outfits HP (which acquired VoodooPC) and Razer as well as CBS Interactive and Logitech. Unikrn might not attract as much hype as the eSports events themselves, but the chances are that you'll hear more about it in the future.
