The notion of "sponsored locations" is a euphemism for Niantic's behavioral futures markets, ground zero in Hanke's new gold rush. The elements and dynamics of the game, combined with its novel augmented-reality technology, operate to herd populations of game players through the real-world monetization checkpoints constituted by the game's actual customers: the entities who pay to play on the real-world game board, lured by the promise of guaranteed outcomes.

Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Cap…, loc. 992