In a news release on Jan. 24, the club revealed that it will use a blockchain-powered mobile tickets platform dubbed TIXnGO. The platform has been jointly developed with Lancashire’s ticketing service provider, SecuTis, and was successfully tested during the 2019 season.
The United Kingdom’s legendary Lancashire Cricket Club will sell tickets for all domestic and international fixtures at Emirates Old Trafford in 2020 through a blockchain-based platform.
By deploying the platform, the club intends to eliminate fake tickets and track ticket distribution among their supporters.
Eliminating fake tickets
Lancashire’s head of ticketing and digital systems, Jonathon Nuttall, claimed that the club became the first in the sport to use the new blockchain secure mobile ticket technology, and added:
“During the 2019 season, over 80% of tickets bought at Emirates Old Trafford have been made online, compared to less than 50% in 2018 so it’s vitally important that we continue to improve the digital ticking technologies to ensure we make things as easy, and as enjoyable, as possible for those supporters booking with us.”
David Hornby, UK MD of SecuTix, said that “blockchain technology addresses many of the ticketing issues that both sports organisations and fans alike face. TIXnGO creates a unique, encrypted ticket for smartphones that is completely traceable, removes the risk of counterfeit tickets and simplifies the process of transferring or reselling tickets for the customer.”
Blockchain becomes more popular in sports
Blockchain has gained traction in the world of sports in recent months. Earlier in January, news broke that the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings will tip off a live auction for gear with a blockchain-based app. The platform reportedly authenticates auction items, patching problems that have long bedeviled gear-hungry fans.
Last year, Italian luxury sports car brand Lamborghini began using Salesforce Blockchain to trace, certify and authenticate heritage Lamborghini cars faster and more securely using its blockchain platform.
On Jan. 23, Malta-based sports blockchain venture Chiliz revealed that it is launching a cryptocurrency exchange for sports and entertainment tokens.
UK Trade Negotiators Eye Blockchain Provisions in Coming US Trade Talks
The United Kingdom’s trade negotiators want to influence global blockchain regulation in its upcoming free trade talks with the United States, according to the negotiating objectives released by the U.K.’s Department for International Trade (DIT).The plan is straightforward and the “opportunity”, as DIT called it, is clear. In its 184-page action plan released March 2, U.K.’s post-Brexit trade broker said it will “seek to deliver” favorable digital trade terms for small to midsize businesses, including those in blockchain.
“In areas such as data flows, blockchain, driverless cars and quantum technology we have the opportunity to help shape global rules through ambitious digital trade provisions”, the document states.
The document did not provide any actual details, and DIT declined to elaborate on its negotiating stance ahead of the talks. Such discussions have taken on heightened importance post-Brexit, especially given the U.K.’s already close trading ties with the U.S.
Peter Hunn, CEO of the smart contracts API firm Clause, said a deal could be beneficial for the blockchain space.
“There is a lot that can be done here to provide standardized interfaces using DLT systems and smart contract code that reduce administration, financial and compliance burdens”, he said.
DIT appears to have prioritized striking a strong digital trading partnership within its coming framework. An entire chapter of the negotiating objectives deal with “digital trade” including data protection, an open internet and cross-border data flows, among other issues.
The U.K. seeks to “future-proof the agreement in anticipation of rapid technological developments”, according to an accompanying press release.
There are some calls for closer cross-border crypto partnerships within the report. In an included appendix that summarizes the DIT’s trade agreement public comment period, held in summer 2018, some “business associations” are said to have lobbied DIT for closer fintech ties.
