I have a story for you. If you believe it, you’ll be well rewarded. If you don’t, I will make it worth your while to change your mind.
The call
Sven is a friend of mine. He knows a million ways to make a buck. One day he called, excited to tell me something new. “It’s crazy!” Sven said. “This can’t be legal!”.
“What can’t be?” I asked. “These two players bet on their own team”.
As you can imagine, I was sceptical. There are strict rules on betting. Even a bet made by a player’s neighbour’s dog-walker could land them in trouble.
But as Sven told the story, I realised why this worked. It was smart. So smart, there were no rules for it yet.
Besides, it wasn’t exactly betting. I still struggle to think of a term. So for now, let’s call it investing set to easy mode.
Domino effect
It was the morning of the Dutch Cup Final, and pundits had noticed strange activity online.
Loads of users of a football fantasy game had bought Martin Stekelenburg, the Ajax reserve goalkeeper. He hadn’t played since the start of the season and had just returned from injury.
Here’s the interesting part. 48 hours before the game, Ajax players Daley Blind and Davy Klassen bought Stekelenburg NFTs and later that day, they shot up in price. Why?
The players had indirectly tipped off users that Stekelenburg would play in the final. If the two decided to sell, both would make quite significant gains.
The game
Sorare. It allows users to buy, win and manage a team of digital cards that are also NFTs. You can earn money by either selling cards or performing well with your fantasy team.
NFT stands for non-fungible token. This means that, unlike most digital items that can be reproduced many times, blockchain creates a system where each NFT is 1-of-a-kind, with only one verified owner.
“Isn’t that gambling?”
Technically no. The company maintains that it is not a gambling platform and rewards users based on skill.
See where I’m going with this?
Now, let me be clear. I’m not suggesting you use inside information to inflate the prices of digital goods for profit. Although, if you’re considering it, I’d do it now. There’s another way.
Pick your players wisely, and this could be an unbelievable investment.
Picture the year 2019. A young Norwegian has scored his first goal in the Bundesliga. You buy his card on the cheap (£100 or so), and he makes you money weekly. 3 years pass, and he’s now a superstar. You then sell the card for 5000x the price.
This happened by the way. An Erling Haaland digital card sold for £155,000.
In the unlikely event that I’ve not convinced you yet, here’s more.
Invest your way
Still not invested in crypto? Great, here’s your way in. You can now invest in something you understand more than most.
With Sorare, you’re not just investing in players and your ability to pick them. You’re investing in Ethereum, likely the most stable crypto-currency out there.
“What about new regulations?” you ask, “Won’t I lose my money?” The simple answer is no.
You see, you’d already own the digital assets even if rules eventually caught up.
You could easily sell your cards and keep the ETH in your wallet. Then, when Ethereum’s value inevitably went up, so would your profits! It’s as if God himself made this side hustle, just for you.
