Just another WordPress weblog

It looks like Verizon is about to get into a game of: “What constitutes gambling?”. America’s No. 2 service provider, along with third-party content providers, are the defendants in a class-action suit, in which they are accused of enticing subscribers to gamble. The charge is related to premium text messaging contests on TV shows, like “Deal or No Deal” or “Sole Survivor,” where contestants answer questions via text message. A $0.99 charge is added to the texter’s cell phone bill, and if he gets the question right, only then is she entered into the lottery. The suit alleges that these are games of chance, and thereby gambling. I’ll let the suit explain it better:

“The chances of winning are infinitesimally less than the odds posed by the number of choices offered,” stated the suit. “Having placed their $0.99 wager with and through defendants along with hundreds or thousands (if not tens of thousands) of other subscribers, only those individuals who selected the correct answer are even entered into a subsequent pool of those who guessed correctly. From that pool of entrants, one random winner is selected to receive the cash prize. The first randomly selected potential winner for each episode that answers or returns the notification phone call is declared the winner (subject to verification and satisfaction of other miscellaneous conditions, such as proof of age).”

I suppose the suit makes sense from at least one train of logic. But what about the trivia questions? Do they help make this a game of skill? Or is it still just a ridiculous wager?

See, Canada’s got it right. If you win a game of chance there, you have to take a skill test before you can claim your prize. I can only imagine. “Yeah, I won $20 in the scratch-off, but I didn’t get any money because I couldn’t figure out 12 x 8 / 4.”

But if you want a serious opinion on this, don’t look at me. Legal gambling for all, I say.

[RCR Wireless News]

Share on Facebook | Add to De.licio.us | Digg This! | Technorati