Through the arrival of pay-to-play games of skill, the ever-evolving arena that is Internet gaming has taken another step in the evolutionary chain. The most recent such site to surface is www.onlinechess.com
The new site, created by WebQuest International Inc., is believed to be the world’s first site to enable players to not only compete with one another in a game of chess, but also to put money on the match. Previously available in free-play mode only, the site enables players to bet chess matches for as little as $2 or as much as $25.
The move to go to a betting format comes at a time when the economy seems to be heading south, but that doesn’t phase WebQuest.
"We’re about to shoot to the moon in a dot-com crash," said WebQuest CEO, Kirk Johnson. "The market size is huge, and we already have logged 8,000 free games before our official launch to the public."
Now players have the option of placing a bet on a match--users can only bet on the outcome of their own games--or they can play for free or even watch others do battle on the chessboard.
In addition to changing the way chess players worldwide use the Internet to find games, a WebQuest spokesperson said the site is perfectly legal in most of the United States since chess is not a game of chance.
"The difference is, here we are betting on a game of skill; it's not a roll of the dice," the spokesperson told the NewsFactor Network. "A game of skill against another person is considered legal. You cannot bet on the outcome of another person's game, only your own."
Pay-to-play games of skill are legal in all but 17 U.S.--Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont and Wyoming.
WebQuest is hoping that the fact that there's no software to download, as well as the fact that there are no subscriber fees, will make the site very appealing to players. The company will gain revenue by taking a 5 percent cut of the winnings on any wagered match. They're also charging a 5 percent processing fee on deposits.
"Most people will want to stake a modest entry fee for the opportunity of an immediate cash reward," said Bob McGinley, WebQuest's director of development.
McGinley says the community aspect of site is a big plus as well. He added, "Not only can participants play for cash against opponents from across the globe, they can build relationships through our chat rooms at the same time."
The minimum time for a game is two minutes and the maximum time for a game is unlimited. When the game is completed, reconciliation is made immediately and the proper additions or subtractions, based on the game outcome, are administrated to the participants’ WebQuest accounts.
There is no ceiling on how much a player can win in a day, but WebQuest does limit losses to a maximum of $200 a day and $1,000 a month.
The Nevada-based company operates additional sites that focus on tournament play, card games, leisure activities and online promotional tools.