Atari is launching a crypto casino to capitalise on nostalgia and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

Atari SA, the entertainment software provider, plans to launch an online casino next month, the latest move in CEO Frederic Chesnais’ efforts to revitalise the company.

The casino, which will be built on the Ethereum blockchain in collaboration with the blockchain specialist Decentral Games, will feature Atari-themed games as well as Atari non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which can be used to gain more digital currency. According to their joint statement, the firms anticipate wagers of $150 million in 2021 and $400 million over the next two years.

According to Chesnais, the partnership “will transfer the Atari gaming experience onto the blockchain.”

Casinos on the blockchain have been met with a combination of scepticism and excitement, with crypto enthusiasts hailing them as the future of gaming and transacting hundreds of millions of dollars on networks such as Justin Sun’s Tron. NFTs have gained in popularity as an alternative investment opportunity in recent months, labelling pieces of digital art as one-of-a-kind and betting on the expectation that imposed scarcity would increase their value over time.

Chesnais has been working to make Atari more progressive and meaningful, including previous forays into cryptocurrencies. In the 1970s and 1980s, Atari’s predecessor companies spawned a wave of gamers with arcade and home games like Asteroids and Pong, but the company has long been overshadowed by larger, more powerful competitors.

Digital Currency Group, whose main company Grayscale Investments LLC manages the largest traded Bitcoin fund, is a supporter of Decentral Games.

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