The Blockchain World Conference was held recently at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City. The conference provided a meeting space for blockchain and cryptocurrency experts to discuss and share ideas and information. This time around, the conference—which ran from the July 11 through July 13. It also included a unique ending—a live poker tournament funded and played entirely using cryptocurrency.
The Blockchain World Conference
Over 4,000 people attended the Blockchain World Conference, with a further 10,000 streaming online. There were over 100 exhibitors, including world-class speakers, scientists, blockchain experts, cryptocurrency analysts, business leaders and more.
All manner of cryptocurrency experts met at the event for seminars, discussions and presentations as well as to make the most of opportunities for networking. The event also had plenty of opportunities for fun, with golf outings, dancing and VIP parties all on the agenda. The closing keynote speech came from John McAfee, with other talks from highly regarded experts like Patrick M. Bryan and Sean Morgan.
Harrah’s Resort provided an excellent setting for the conference, with a marina view offering fine dining, shopping and even a tropical pool complex with spas. The next conference will take place in December.
Casino-Sanctioned Cryptocurrency Tournament
On July 14, the day after the Blockchain World Conference ended its meetings and discussions, a 100-player all-cryptocurrency poker event was held. Only attendees of the conference could enter the tournament, and players were only allowed to use cryptocurrency. It was the first casino-sanctioned live poker tournament held using the technology.
In fact, the whole event was run through Blockparty, a blockchain-powered live-ticketing platform. Players bought tickets for the event through the platform and the tournament for $250 of cryptocurrency. Bets and cash-outs also occurred in cryptocurrency.
The winner of the tournament received two tickets to the Blockchain World Conference in December in Hollywood, along with three night’s accommodations at the Diplomat Hotel. The prize was worth a total of $10,000. There were also special bounty prizes for knocking out poker pros.
The Coming Together of Industries
The cryptocurrency poker tournament represents the coming together of several different industries. Poker and cryptocurrency are a perfect match as we’ve seen with online cryptocurrency poker sites such as CoinPoker, which holds games on the blockchain using crypto-tokens. The live poker tournament held at the Blockchain World Conference is another step forward in the practical application and everyday use of cryptocurrency.
Alex Falcone, COO of the conference, highlighted that this was a unique opportunity to end the event with a real-world application of the technology. The CEO of Blockparty says that the company is excited to add poker as another event category to their existing ticketing services. Blockparty allows for the purchase and transfer of events tickets over the blockchain, helping to prevent ticket fraud and reseller scams.
Cryptocurrency has seen a lot of media attention—driven mostly by the drop in price and market volatility of Bitcoin, but in the background, industries around it are developing. The poker and gaming industries are one example of where blockchain and cryptocurrency are already used. The size and scale of the Blockchain World Conference demonstrate that industry leaders are keen to push forward the applications of the technology.
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