Call the Shot

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Official Release

-- Blockparty’s First Partnership in Professional Sports Will Enhance Fan Engagement ---- Paves Way for Broader Application of Blockchain Technology at Golden 1 Center --

Today, the Sacramento Kings announced the NBA’s first blockchain-powered reward program in collaboration with Blockparty. The Kings plan to add the new reward program as an enhancement to the NBA’s first predictive gaming application, “Call the Shot,” in time for upcoming 2019-20 season.

“We have only just begun to see the benefits of blockchain technology as it transforms the way business is conducted worldwide, ensuring secure transactions across multiple sectors and customers,” said Sacramento Kings Chairman, CEO and Governor Vivek Ranadivé. “We are committed to continuing to deliver the best fan experience and are excited to bring this transformative technology to life to award our loyal fans through experiences in a secure and transparent way.”

Through this partnership, Blockparty plans to use blockchain technology to track Kings fans engagements and accumulate points in a virtual wallet within each fan’s Sacramento Kings + Golden 1 Center app. Kings fans using the “Call the Shot” gaming experience within the app can earn rewards based on these points. Enrollment in the rewards program is free and rewards are non-transferable and have no monetary value. The rewards can be redeemed for prizes and unique events including signed merchandise and courtside tickets. Developed with Xperiel, “Call the Shot” was the first mobile offering from an NBA team that offers high-frequency predictive gaming to fans.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the most technologically innovative team in professional sports and help them bring the latest in blockchain technology to the NBA,” said Blockparty CEO Shiv Madan. “Our technology should give the Kings more flexibility in how they reward their most loyal fans. We expect others in the NBA will follow the Kings lead in the years to come.”  

This partnership represents another first in the team’s efforts to pave the way for technology innovation in sports. In 2014, the Kings became the first NBA team to accept Bitcoin as payment in the arena. Last year, the Kings became the first professional sports team in the world to mine cryptocurrency and announced a charitable program, MiningForGood, that donates those funds to workforce development and training efforts in the community.

The Kings are industry leaders in predictive gaming. Earlier this year, the Kings also debuted the NBA’s first dedicated space for a free-to-play, in-arena predictive gaming experience.

The Kings were named the "most innovative company in sports" by Fast Company and “Most Tech Savvy Team of 2016” by Sport Techie and were a recipient of Sports Business Journal’s “Facility of the Year.”

Blockparty is the leader in blockchain-based live event ticketing and fan engagement. Founded by esteemed veterans across the live events and blockchain industries, Blockparty is built on the mission of improving the ticket purchasing process for concerts, sporting events, music festivals and more, Blockparty is designed to eradicate bots, eliminate fraud and verify ticket ownership while creating real demand in order to both deliver an optimal event ticketing experience for consumers, and to allow for sustainable growth for venues and event organizers. For more information, please visit​ ​www.goblockparty.com​.

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Sacramento Kings and Blockparty Launch NBA’s First Blockchain-Driven Token to Power Predictive Gaming App

Nikki Nicholson

Today, the Sacramento Kings announced a partnership with MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) (“MGM Resorts” or the “Company”) and Xperiel, the inventor of the Real World Web (RWW) platform, to provide new incentives to fans engaging with the NBA’s first free-to-play gaming experience.  “Call the Shot” is available for fans within the Fan Zone of the award-winning, dual-mode Sacramento Kings + Golden 1Center app, which was first released in 2016.

“Call the Shot” allows fans to predict the outcomes of game quarters, player performance as well as interact with their favorite NBA team – all while offering in-app prize opportunities with no purchase required to participate. Featuring MGM Resorts as its premier gaming sponsor, “Call the Shot” is the first mobile offering from an NBA team that offers high-frequency predictive gaming to fans.

“We are committed to exploring new ways that technology can be used to engage with fans as they consume and interact with the game,” said Kings Owner and Chairman Vivek Ranadivé. “The future is experiential and we are proud to lead the way in continuing to redefine the fan experience with this innovative and interactive platform.”

“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with the Kings to become their exclusive presenting partner for the Call the Shot game,” said MGM Resorts International President of Interactive Gaming Scott Butera. “MGM Resorts looks forward to this unique opportunity to innovate free-to-play gaming and provide fans with a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience."

“When we first started working with the Kings a few years ago, Vivek Ranadivé had the vision that any predictive gaming experience we create together should have a Vegas-like gaming feel without the actual wagering,” said Xperiel CEO and co-founder Alex Hertel. “It is thrilling to see what we’ve built under Vivek’s guidance and look forward to continuing to work with the Kings and other NBA teams to create immersive digital fan experiences and drive sports technology innovation with our Real World Web platform.”

Fans utilizing “Call the Shot” can make real-time predictions on shooting percentage, top scoring teams, top scoring players, which team will have the highest rebounds and more. These predictions can be made before the game and during each quarter, with correct guesses awarded virtual credits that can be used for in-app prize opportunities or to continue playing until the end of the game.

Virtual credits won in the Xperiel activations can only be redeemed in the Sacramento Kings + Golden 1 Center app, are non-transferable and have no monetary value. During the game, successful fans playing both at the arena and at home will have their names appear on the leaderboard within the app and then projected onto the 4K Ultra HD videoboard, VSP SKEYE View, at Golden 1 Center. After the game, fans can use virtual credits for in-app prize opportunities. Prizes may include a wide selection of autographed Kings gear and game tickets. Season-length grand prizes will be fulfilled through a partnership between Xperiel and Amazon.

MGM Resorts, which signed a multi-year long-term partnership agreement with the NBA in July, is participating as the league’s official gaming partner, providing prizes and helping to create an exciting, Vegas-like experience for app users.  MGM Resorts seized the opportunity to extend its commitment to the growth of the NBA by partnering with the Kings, the first NBA team to provide a more immersive free-to-play gamified app-based experience for fans both at Golden 1 Center and those watching remotely.

“Call the Shot” is the result of a multiyear partnership between Xperiel and the Kings. Previously, Kings fans have used “Photo in the Plaza” through the team’s proprietary mobile app to post selfies that appear on the arena’s exterior screens and catch virtual basketballs via an augmented reality prize cannon.

In addition to its partnership with the Kings, Xperiel is partnering with Amazon to fulfill delivery of season grand prizes – which may include a Microsoft XBox ‘One S’ with NBA 2K18, a Sonos PLAY:1 sound system and an Amazon Echo Show – directly to winners’ homes.

Xperiel has partnered with sports teams for several years to create more dynamic, gamified fan experiences that provide mobile users a variety of different ways to interact with their favorite sports teams as well as smart stadiums and a wide variety of IoT sensors. The Xperiel platform merges the Internet of Things (IoT) and augmented reality to create a diverse network of connected devices called the Real World Web. Delivered through personal devices and location-based infrastructure, the gamified experiences tap into the excitement of Kings games and offers fans a fundamentally new way to try to guess the outcome of various aspects of games and player performances.

About MGM Resorts InternationalMGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&amp;P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 29 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company acquired the operations of Empire City Casino in New York in 2019, and in 2018, opened MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau, and the first Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai. The over 82,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE® Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies®. For more information visit us at www.mgmresorts.com.

About XperielXperiel, inventor of the Real World Web (RWW), merges the physical and digital worlds by enabling mixed reality, predictive gaming and immersive experiences accessible to consumers through brands’ existing or new mobile apps. Xperiel’s RWW platform provides a device-agnostic operating system for the Internet of Things (IoT) which connects consumer devices to the world around them and connects all technology together into a single network. Using Xperiel’s patented, easy-to-use graphical programming language Pebbles, organizations across the retail, professional sports and entertainment spectrum (and beyond) can quickly, cost-effectively design and deliver interactive, customized apps in a few days or weeks, not months—without the expense of time-consuming development efforts. Teams and brands including the New York Jets, the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pepsico and MGM work with Xperiel to deploy interactive applications that drive consumer engagement and customer loyalty while increasing revenue opportunities in today’s fast-paced, digital world. www.xperiel.com

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Kings Partner with MGM Resorts and Xperiel to Upgrade “Call the Shot” Free-to-Play Gaming Experience to Fans

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The Sacramento Kings announced a collaboration with Xperiel, inventor of the Real World Web (RWW) platform, to bring new engagement activities to the fingertips of fans. Xperiel’s cutting-edge, new fan engagement experiences will enable fans to engage with the team via a predictive gaming program in the Kings and Golden 1 Center’s new mobile app.

“Call The Shot” will open to fans beginning with tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Fans will be able to make predictions about what will happen during the game and collect points based on their wagers, whether they are attending the game or watching from around the world.

“Through technology, we’re using innovation to enhance the fan experience in new and dynamic ways,” said Kings Chief Technology Officer Ryan Montoya. “We want our fans to connect and feel integrated into the game. Xperiel is helping our fans experience Kings Basketball in a whole new way.”

Xperiel’s platform enables the Real World Web™ to come to life by providing augmented reality experiences to consumers. The predictive gaming enables all fans to actively participate in the excitement of Kings games, interact with the team and other fans in a unique way. The platform is built into the Kings new app, which serves as a “remote control” to the world’s most technologically advanced and connected arena in sports.

“We want to provide Sacramento Kings fans and visitors to Golden 1 Center an opportunity to play along with the players of the team,” said Xperiel CEO Alex Hertel. “Integrating Xperiel’s platform into the Kings + Golden 1 Center  app will allow the team to engage with its audiences in a more compelling and effective way. And we have activations coming soon that will essentially turn Golden 1 Center into an integrated digital playground, providing fans an even more personalized experience while at  games. This is what we call the Real World Web.”

Throughout the season, fans will be able to experience more engaging activities at Golden 1 Center by way of their mobile phones. To download the “Sacramento Kings + Golden 1 Center” app, visit the Apple App Store or Google Play.

For images of the user’s experience, visit bit.ly/KingsCallTheShot.

Xperiel is bringing what it calls the Real World Web (RWW) to life. The RWW is where the physical and digital worlds converge to provide augmented reality experiences for consumers across any OS or mobile device. To orchestrate the RWW, the inventors of Google Wallet technology built the Xperiel platform, comprised of a universal trigger fabric, device-agnostic applications in the cloud and an all new graphical programming language based on the founders’ original Ph.D. research. Xperiel makes it possible for users to quickly build device-agnostic applications in the cloud that are contextually aware and can communicate with real world and online triggers. A trigger is an activation point that signals Xperiel to deliver immersive, customized experiences to individuals via their mobile phones, wearables, virtual reality technology or any connected device. Xperiel’s patented, easy-to-use graphical programming language opens the door for non-technical people to develop applications in less than an hour, radically compressing the time and cost it takes to build IoT apps. Xperiel changes the way people can and will interact with a completely connected world. Companies in industries spanning professional sports, entertainment, retail and more are using the Xperiel platform to maximize the value of their IoT investments. Organizations including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Pepsico use Xperiel to deliver engaging experiences via the RWW that ensure loyalty while increasing revenue opportunities.

Call the Shot

Sacramento Kings and Blockparty Launch NBA’s First Blockchain-Driven Token to Power Predictive Gaming App

Kings Partner with MGM Resorts and Xperiel to Upgrade “Call the Shot” Free-to-Play Gaming Experience to Fans

Sacramento Kings and Xperiel Launch Gaming Platform to Enhance Fan Experience