I have a good idea for a casino game, I think. It would be based on roulette, but instead of just one ball landing on a number, there would be four. Basically 4 balls would be rolled in quick succession, as the croupier (or whatever the dealer is called in roulette) yells out where the first three balls have landed "17, 00, 25....place your bets". The bettors are still only betting on the last ball, just like in regular roulette, but three balls would have landed already, giving them the perception that perhaps, the last one could be figured out, that if they figured out the numerology, probability, statistics, and physics of the game, they might be able to gain an edge. This will attract a certain "the casino can be beaten"-crowd, a crowd which casinos love.
Smartly, there's a company trying to market a product to another group of addicted players--eBay bidders (from alarm:clock):
A group of Seattle EIRs from Ignition partners have banded on Mpire - a startup that targets the eBay economy. The company's software gives eBay buyers and sellers at least the perception that they have an unfair advantage. Sellers can research average prices on comparables, top keywords, and best day and time of day to sell.
Founded in 2005, Mpire is backed by Ignition Partners and former eBay executive Richard Rock. Given how competitive the eBay economy has become, and how much money is at stake there, Mpire seems to have it going on.
As the article states, it's all about the perception of unfair advantage, but it's a great thing to sell to people, particularly since there's nothing more dangerous than a person who has convinced themselves that they've mastered eBay (always gets the product they want, never overpays, "psyches" out other bidders, etc.).
In fact, there are a lot of things sold this way, like the entire world of financial journalism and research. It's funny that everybody thinks that reading The Journal, in the morning, gives them "that edge" to start the business day. Even CNBC, watched by hundreds of thousands on their morning treadmill, markets itself this way.
It's a silly but effective trick, and I'm sure a lot of informational products could be sold on this one point alone.
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