i remember thinking recently that this would be a great idea, and lo and behold it arrives… I have to get faster with execution of ideas…

i’m sure this will be a roaring success

Part of this is incorrect. People were gambling for lindens and they had to shut down the casinos in Q1-Q2 of 2007. I think this validates that there is still oomph to lindens.

Your second point is a good one but I would say the model needs to go one step further and be structured massive tournaments. It’s a better engagement. We saw the popularity of this with the WoW tournaments. Some disclosure: I’m so adamant about this space because I’m a gamer and I’ve been building the platform for these massive tournaments.

I would be happy to give you a 5 minute demo to get your thoughts. Thanks.

[Devin here. edited your email out of the comment... wouldn't want you getting spam now would we?] :)

Oh btw
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You’re right about timing and products. But do you honestly think a AAA publisher is going to put these wagering tools in-game and deal/manage with the liability of having underage kids wagering or cheating the system? The upside is big if it catches on but it’s not going to happen in AAA video games anytime soon. The meta-game infrastructure doesn’t hold, I do not think that Microsoft, Steam and Xfire want to be associated with gambling. I’ve consulted with the past chair of International Association of Gaming Attorneys, I know it’s legal but it is still gambling. I don’t think the companies you mention would be okay with gambling occurring through their framework. It is more a matter of brand purity than legal frameworks and market timing.

But as you said who knows, anything can happen. That being said, I honestly wish the best of luck to BringIt.

They also need to look at things like pools for multiplayer – imagine 30v30 arenas in WoW where everyone puts up five bucks and maybe your winning amount is halved if you die. See, how easy is that?

Anyway, I quit video games a long time ago, but I am a gambler. All of the guys I’ve played with over the years, I’d say 70% play wow or warhammer (~100). I think this could work if done correctly with minimal capex, decent funding, and slow growth. Nice to have reasonable arguments expressed with substantiation.

They may wish to minimize the barrier to entry, however, with virtual currency and/ or taking less of a fee (eg. it could be a function of winning percentage or skill level). Hard to believe they are a destination website by choice…

RE: Cheating
If they develop the system to have enough intelligence to detect odd patterns from the same IP (think of click fraud), it is workable. Risk Management is battle to be fought in many industries, and this is where they might focus significant resources and provide real value.

What is to stop someone playing for someone else?

Wow. When you make a statement like this you elude your readers that it is novel. Thresh tried to do this with UltimateArena.com, Kwari tried to do this, Tournament.com tried to do this, gamelio.com tried to do this, gamersaloon.com is trying to do this and many many more. Furthermore, these sites have (or had) a better product offering than BringIt.com

All these sites have something in common – they sink. The video game market is not ready to bet cash on each video game.

cool

i never play games .smart idea though

thanks
http://hubpages.com/hub/AustralianSchoolofMeditationandYoga

And, for the record, most video games have an element of chance to them nowadays. Sure, most of them require more skill than the amount of chance that is interlaced but the “chance factor” is still there. For example, in Madden, all the AI players build the “chance factor”. In Burnout Paradise, all the AI cars in the game build the “chance factor”. The only games that don’t have any sort of chance to them are games that are based around a pattern such as the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises. These games are patterned and can be learned and they don’t change. Hell, even Tetris is a game of chance AND skill.

As far as making a living off of gambling on video games.. no. And people who make a living off of Second Life, Entropia Universe, World of Warcraft.. well they’re not exactly enjoying what they’re doing, now are they? I don’t think so. It’s not like that Fatal1ty guy going across the country owning people all over the place in game competitions.. it’s not like in Korea where you can be a huge celebrity if you are good enough at playing StarCraft..

Anyway. Great idea but it simply can’t work. I’d rather have friends over and bet on games in person anyway. Half the fun of gambling is the social aspect.

If you like this concept, check out my company at http://www.ProjectPointSpread.com

We’re not a gambling site either, but a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling sports knowledge. The site is modeled after your typical Football Pick’em league. Fans can make predictions, get ranked against the community, access consensus picks and also buy and sell predictions with other fans.

JW