I’m not much of a gambler in the Las Vegas or lottery sense. I loathe state-sponsored gambling, which is little more than a sleazy tax on the people who can least afford it.
But I would never suggest a ban on gambling, and I don’t object at all to the relatively harmless, person-to-person version. Even I make an occasional wager with a friend, usually over something trivial.
Why do I mention this? Once again, Internet enterpreneurs have come up with a new wrinkle on an old practice. Check out flutter.com, a clever Internet startup here in London that bills itself as the “world’s first person-to-person online betting site.”
When you make a bet you put your money in escrow, and flutter.com takes a small commission — and “opens up the traditional world of betting, removing the bookmaker and handing you the controls,” the company says.
Here’s a bet I’m willing to make. This has to terrify the incumbent gambling industry, which is in bed with governments worldwide. Entrenched gambling interests will move heaven and earth to try and shut this thing down.