Transmira Transforming Gambling Industry
RALEIGH, N.C. — The gambling industry is quickly evolving.
One of the companies involved in that evolution is called Transmira, Inc. (Transmira.com) and is based in North Carolina’s so-called “Research Triangle,” a section of the state heavy with high tech.
Among other things, Transmira has been developing new applications for virtual reality, some of which could be used in gambling, specifically online gambling.
Gambling 911 recently sat down with the head man at Transmira, Robert Rice, to learn more about his company and how it is helping to transform the gambling industry.
Here is a transcript of that interview:
Gambling 911: Can you tell us about your company Transmira and what it does?
Robert Rice: Transmira is the developer of Omniscape, an extended reality (XR) Metaverse platform based on the real world. We specialize in monetization, linking physical to digital with patented tech and helping brands, businesses, and consumers create new opportunities and experiences.
G9: How is your company involved with the gambling industry?
RR: Much of what we are developing with Omniscape could have a huge impact on the industry. For example, with our digital twin technology, we can recreate an entire casino or Las Vegas hotel in full immersive 3D, at 1:1 scale with photorealistic graphics that hundreds and thousands of users can explore and interact with at the same time. We can tie in real gaming and gambling experiences to these locations as well. We also have some amazing technology that is patented where we can link digital media assets, like 3D objects in a virtual world or game, to physical things in the real world, like products, assets, merchandise, luxury items, special offers, tickets, discounts, credits, vouchers, coupons, VIP access, etc. We also have the ability to geolocate content anywhere in the world. Imagine, for example, users discovering and collecting 3D poker chips with a mobile augmented reality (AR) application, like Pokemon GO. These could then be redeemed at a casino for real chips or designed to be collectible. So if you collect the 3D poker chips, a pair of red 3D dice and a 3D roulette spinner, you could combine them and exchange or redeem them for a free night at a casino or something else. It would be easy to geolocate these at competing casinos and then drive traffic to your casino for the redemption.
G9: Is your company involved with blockchain technology, and if so, how?
RR: We use blockchain as a way to cryptographically secure and protect all of our 3D virtual goods objects, like the 3D poker chips I just mentioned. This makes sure they can be authenticated and validated, can't be copied or counterfeited and you know for sure that the 3D object you have is absolutely equal to owning the real thing. Imagine a 3D diamond that grants you rights to an actual diamond with full provenance and authentication.
G9: Where is your company located?
RR: Raleigh, North Carolina, although our team is distributed over eight countries.
G9: How old is your company?
RR: Almost 10 years. We spent the first few years focusing on technology and solving some very complex problems related to building a global scale Metaverse platform with augmented and virtual reality (VR) features.
G9: What is your position with the company?
RR: Founder and chief executive officer.
G9: Can you tell us a little about your personal background, such as age, education, experience and specifically experience, if any, in the gambling industry?
RR: I'm 52, some college and a recognized pioneer and authority in augmented reality, virtual reality and massive multi-user online games and simulations. I coined the term XR, hold several key Metaverse and monetization patents and I started by working at a VR arcade game company in 1992. My experience in the gambling industry is best summarized as I am really good at winning at the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. Like really good.
G9: Where do you see your company five years from now—what are your expectations?
RR: In five years, we will be one of the dominant XR Metaverse platforms and one of the only ones with industry disruptive capabilities in enterprise, commercial and government applications, as well as global reach to the consumer market. We will be the de facto leaders in bridging between the real world and the digital one.
G9: You recently attended the World Football Summit Europe. Why did you attend, what was that experience like and what did you learn?
RR: Our technology and capabilities are really well-suited for next-generation fan engagement at the global scale. Our digital twin technology in particular is fantastic for stadiums, arenas and entire cities, which lets us create phenomenal experiences for users, both local fans and remote fans around the world at the same time. The overall experience was nice. Sevilla, Spain is a gorgeous city and we made a number of fantastic connections with several teams and leagues. On the other hand, while there is an appetite to innovate and embrace Metaverse technology, there are a lot of misunderstandings about the tech, and a good deal of confusion caused by the crypto sector projects that aren't true Metaverse applications. We definitely learned that we need to invest more time into educating executives and marketing teams on how to develop a Metaverse strategy and how the tech can have dramatic effects on brands, teams and corporate operations, revenue and engagement marketing.
By Tom Somach
Gambling 911 Chief Correspondent
