If you've been eyeing the social space over the past several months, you might have noticed that major players like Zynga have expressed interest in expanding their business beyond in-app purchases, and into the realm of real-money gambling.
It's a sticky business to get into thanks to the myriad legal restrictions in place, but on Monday the UK startup Betable announced that it plans to help social developers get around those hurdles with a brand new game platform.
Currently in private beta, the Betable platform allows developers to implement real-money gambling features into their games, and the company claims it could potentially open up new revenue streams that the social space hasn't yet been able to tap into.
Betable declined to share exactly how much of a cut it will take from developers using its program, though company founder Christopher Griffin told us that the revenue split will be "similar to what developers have come to expect from other platforms."
Right now, the Betable program is only available in select countries where local laws permit online wagering. While Betable could not provide us with a full list of its supported territories, the company noted that it particularly plans to focus on growing its platform within Western Europe.
Games in other regions, such as the United States, however, won't be able to support Betable's program in the foreseeable future, as strict regulations in these territories prevent companies from employing online betting altogether. Developers operating in these regions can still use Betable's platform, but their games can only use real-money gambling in the territories where such practices are legal.
For more information on Betable's real-money gambling program, visit the company's official website.
"Developers operating in these regions can still use Betable's platform, but their games can only use real-money gambling in the territories where such practices are legal."
Laws still lagging behind facts.
I'd like to see how this will develop, even though I expect very little good to emerge from it.
This is basically the same business model that large Poker and Sports betting sites use (used). A quick look around at those sites shows a lot of domains seized by the US government.
The incident you are referring occurred because online poker was deemed illegal in the US by the Federal Government, and they then gave these poker sites a grace period to cease all US operations. They summarily refused to do so, which is why their domains were seized.
We're not operated in the US or other markets where online gambling is specifically prohibited. We are 100% focused on being a white hat, above brow gambling service.
Seriously? That's the analysis you're offering on this story?
Laws still lagging behind facts.
I'd like to see how this will develop, even though I expect very little good to emerge from it.
We're not operated in the US or other markets where online gambling is specifically prohibited. We are 100% focused on being a white hat, above brow gambling service.