Thanks for detail insight. Will keep me busy during the holidays.
Integration with Facebook is definitely in pipeline.
Was thinking of rewarding the winners but wasn't sure if it would be legal. Had asked HN few days back and currently it is on hold. The discussion is at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2017757
Thanks. Agreed on the design that it needs improvement. Could you please elaborate little more. Might be able to fix few.
Will replace the Facebook box with a button.
4. ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open to individual students who are at least thirteen (13) years of age and no older than eighteen (18) years of age on November 22, 2010 who are currently enrolled in a pre-university, high school or secondary school program, and who have agreed to these Rules (“Participants”). You must demonstrate the consent of a parent or legal guardian in order to be eligible to receive any prizes as well as written proof of age and proof of enrollment in a pre-university, high school or secondary school program. The Contest is not open to residents of Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), or to other individuals restricted by U.S. export controls and sanctions, and is void in any other nation, state, or province where prohibited or restricted by U.S. or local law. Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders of (1) Google, (2) participating Open Source Organizations, (3) the parent companies, affiliates and subsidiaries of either Google or any participating Open Source Organization, and members of their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse, regardless of where they reside, and/or those living in the same household of each) are ineligible to participate in the Contest. You must have access to the Internet and either have or sign up for a free Google Account in order to enter.
Could you please elaborate why you consider it gambling or betting. All I am doing is picking the obvious winner from the participants and rewarding him for his expertise. Also I am not charging any money for participation. I am just trying to get more information to make the decision.
I wasn't sure what you meant by what you said regarding users picking outcomes - if it was something on the order of a lottery, that would probably be covered under betting laws. If it's something like a trivia quiz and whoever gets the most right answers wins, that would probably be covered under contest law, which is just as complex.
In the US at least, every state determines what is and isn't a contest and what rules apply, though most of them apply to any game where the reward is money or some sort of tangible item (even if players don't have to pay anything to play). That's why if you look closely, some of the fast food contests (like McDonalds Monopoly) say something in the fine print like "Not valid in New York or Rhode Island" or something to that effect. They've determined that their game won't meet the contest laws in those states so they simply say if you live there, you can't play.
It is hosted in US and winners could be outside the country. Either way it seems scary. May be just dump this feature. But again there are mixed responses.
The rewards is only for predicting the outcomes of the matches. But heard from friends that you need to check the legal aspect of it. Got concerned and wanted to double check and get HN user's feedback.
