InTrade expired the Larry Craig prediction market too early.

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Scroll down the whole story and judge by yourself, folks.

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New York Times:

“As he stated on Saturday, Senator Craig intends to resign on Sept. 30,” Mr. [Dan Whiting, a spokesman for Mr. Craig] said in a statement. “However, he is fighting these charges, and should he be cleared before then, he may, and I emphasize may, not resign.

Aaaarrrrgh&#8230-

US Senator Larry Craig - Mugshot

Slate Video – Senator Craig: The Re-enactment

Sen. Larry Craig plead guilty to disorderly conduct following his arrest for allegedly soliciting in a public restroom. Slate V delivers a re-enactment, based on the police report.

Minnesota Police report.

Bathroom Sex FAQ

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Yet another InTrade-TradeSports scandal??

Falling Man

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Sen. Larry Craig to announce resignation or intention not to run in 2008 on/before 31 Dec 2007 – This event derivative has been expired by InTrade.

Larry Craig Resignation - InTrade Dec 2007

The rules (= the event derivative contract statement):

This contract will settle (expire) at 100 ($10.00) if Senator Larry Craig announces his resignation from the Senate or announces he will not run for re-election in 2008 on or before 11:59:59pm ET on the date specified in the contract.

The contract will settle (expire) at 0 ($0.00) if this does not happen on or before 11:59:59pm ET on the date specified in the contract.

A resignation does not have to result in the actual departure by the contract expiry date but rather the announcement of the resignation must be made before the date and time specified in the contract.

Expiry will be based on official, public announcements made by Larry Craig as reported by three independent and reliable media sources.

Due to the nature of this contract please also see Contract Rule 1.7 Unforeseen Circumstances.

The Exchange reserves the right to invoke Contract Rule 1.8 (Time Protection) if deemed appropriate.

Any changes to the result after the contract has expired will not be taken into account – Exchange Rule 1.4

Please contact the exchange by emailing [email protected] if you have any questions regarding this contract before you place a trade.

Important:
Please contact the Exchange if you have any query or uncertainty (including how it may be settled) about this Contract, the Rule above or the Contract Rules before you trade.

US Senator Larry Craig (on September 1, 2007 ):

Senator Craig Announces Intent to Resign from the Senate

BOISE, Idaho – Senator Craig made the following statement to Idaho:

First and foremost this morning, let me thank my family for being with me. We&#8217-re missing a son who&#8217-s working in McCall, and simply couldn&#8217-t make it down. But for my wife Suzanne and our daughter Shae, and Mike to be with me is very humbling.

To have the governor standing behind me, as he always has, is a tremendous strength for me. To have Bill Sali who has never wavered, and who has been there by phone call and by prayer, and his wife, is tremendously humbling.

For the leader of our party, Kirk Sullivan, to be standing here, who sought immediate counsel with me in this, is humbling. For Tom Luna—for any public official at this moment in time—to be standing with Larry Craig is a humbling experience. Learn more about Senator Craig&#8217-s top accomplishments

For most of my adult life, I had the privilege of serving the people of Idaho. I&#8217-m grateful for the opportunity they have given me. It has been a blessing. I am proud of my record and accomplishments, and equally proud of the wonderful and talented people with whom I have had the honor and the privilege to work and to serve.

I choose to serve because I love Idaho. What is best for Idaho has always been the focus of my efforts, and it is no different today. To Idahoans I represent, to my staff, my Senate colleagues, but most importantly, to my wife and my family, I apologize for what I have caused. I am deeply sorry.

I have little control over what people choose to believe, but clearly my name is important to me and my family is so very important also. Having said that, to pursue my legal options, as I continue to serve Idaho, would be an unwanted and unfair distraction of my job and for my Senate colleagues. These are serious times of war and of conflict—times that deserve the Senate&#8217-s and the full nation&#8217-s attention.

There are many challenges facing Idaho that I am currently involved in. And the people of Idaho deserve a senator who can devote 100 percent of his time and effort to the critical issues of our state and of our nation.

Therefore it is with sadness and deep regret that I announce that it is my intent to resign from the Senate, effective September 30. In doing so, I hope to allow a smooth and orderly transition of my loyal staff and for the person appointed to take my place at William E. Borah&#8217-s desk. I have full confidence that Governor Otter will appoint a successor who will serve Idaho with distinction.

I apologize to the people of our great state for being unable to serve out a term to which I have been elected. Few people have had the privilege and the pleasure to represent Idaho for as many years as I have. Each day, each week, each year brought new challenges and opportunities to create a better life for Idahoans. I have enjoyed every moment and cannot adequately put into words how much I appreciate what you have given me: the chance to work for this great state. I hope you do not regret the confidence you have placed in me over all of these years. I hope I have served you and our state to the best of my ability.

Lastly, Suzanne and I have been humbled beyond words by the tremendous outpouring of support we have received from our friends, our family, our staff and fellow Idahoans. We are profoundly and forever grateful. Thank you all very much.

US Senator Larry Craig announced his intent to resign, not his upcoming resignation (or effective resignation). Big difference. A resignation intent is not an upcoming/effective resignation. We know now, thanks to the New York Times, that there was an unstated conditionality &#8212-whether Larry Craig gets cleared before the 30th of September 2007. Thus, InTrade should not have expired the Larry Craig event derivative on the basis of that senatorial output. I bet that some traders will soon complain on the Intrade-TradeSports forum. They can contact me, if they wish.

More Info: – AP – MSNBC Video – Idaho Stateman –

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ADDENDUM:

Definitions of the word &#8220-intent&#8221- on the Web:

* purpose: an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions– &#8220-his intent was to provide a new translation&#8221– &#8220-good intentions are not enough&#8221– &#8220-it was created with the conscious aim of answering immediate needs&#8221– &#8220-he made no secret of his designs&#8221-
* the intended meaning of a communication
* captive: giving or marked by complete attention to- &#8220-that engrossed look or rapt delight&#8221– &#8220-then wrapped in dreams&#8221– &#8220-so intent on this fantastic&#8230-narrative that she hardly stirred&#8221– Walter de la Mare- &#8220-rapt with wonde
r&#8221– &#8220-wrapped in thought&#8221-
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* Intent in law is the planning and desire to perform an act.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intent

* Reiki is an Intent driven system. Intent is the key to using the Reiki energy in healing and Attunements.
www.reikithehealingpath.com/reiki_glossary.htm

* Intent is the plan and will to act in a particular way or choice to remain inactive.
www.attorneykennugent.com/library/i.html

* The singlemost causal agency in all action, creation, destruction and change at all levels of existence. That component of consciousness which gives rise to all forms. The means by which the Will of God and Natural Law is manifest. The essence and source of motivation.
www.eoni.com/~visionquest/library/glossary.html

* Humans appear to be comprised of two important awarenesses: The Conscious Awareness (usually experienced through the personality) and a Greater Awareness. The Greater Awareness resides at body center and is connected to a fundamental force Seers call Intent. Intent is the equivalent of a muscle in the physical world. It is the means by which action, change, and expression happen in both the physical and energetic worlds for all humans. &#8230-
sentecenter.com/glossary.htm

* the mood, message, or meaning desired by the artist
www.learner.org/channel/workshops/artsineveryclassroom/p1popups/vocabulary.html

* A state of mind (mens rea) in which a person seeks a particular result through a particular course of action.
www.iejs.com/glossary/Glossary_I.htm

* the subtextual objective of a character
www.austin.cc.tx.us/sbramme2/Glossary.htm

* Voluntary function of a person’s mind in purposely performing a perceivable act.
www5.aaos.org/oko/vb/online_pubs/professional_liability/glossary.cfm

* requires that one intended to deprive the possessor &#8220-permanently&#8221- of the property. Although the mens rea of larceny is the intent to steal, the focus is on the loss to the possessor, not the gain to the defendant. Thus, even if the thief did not gain in the taking, if the possessor lost in the process. Courts have also held that permanence can be more than keeping forever. &#8230-
www.voyager.in/Larceny

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PARTING SHOT:

The problem with most of the socially valuable prediction markets (i.e., the non-sports prediction markets) is that all depends on:

– how well the event derivative contract is stated-

– how well the related information is interpreted-

– how well the event derivative contract is expired.

With the Larry Craig prediction market, we have yet another example that InTrade (which gets plenty of cites in Midas Oracle * and other business media outlets) might not have done its job with the highest degree of professionalism required &#8212-at least in my opinion. Judge by yourself, scanning all the facts presented above by yourself.

In the summer 2006, I denounced the North Korean Missile scandal, and here&#8217-s what followed:

– I received an e-mail from InTrade CEO John Delaney saying that I could put a prize of $10,000 in the &#8216-lost&#8217- column-

– I have been attacked by a second-tier phone-booth conference organizer, sponsored by InTrade-

– I received e-mailed insults from Ireland, sent on forged e-mail accounts.

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[*] 3,820 cites of InTrade, says Google Search.

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Next: Resignation Intent vs. Upcoming Resignation vs. Effective Resignation

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UPDATE: Chris Masse&#8217-s response to the Mike Giberson comment&#8230-

The real issue is not much that InTrade makes a mistake (we all do), but whether it acknowledges its mistake and compensates the victims. (In the North Korea Missile scandal, InTrade did not behave well in this perspective, according to my reading of the situation.) […]

US Senator Larry Craig simply said, “I’m thinking about resigning on September 30”. He did not say, “I’m resigning, effective September 30.” There is a huge difference between the two kinds of statement. And this difference (and InTrade’s error) pops up today because Larry Craig is exercising his constitutional right to change his intent. […]

Next: Donald Rumsfeld&#8217-s resignation letter – November 6, 2006

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UPDATE: New York Times&#8230-

Sen. Larry Craig has all but dropped any notion of trying to complete his term, and is focused on helping Idaho send a new senator to Washington within a few weeks, his top spokesman said Thursday. &#8221-The most likely scenario, by far, is that by October there will be a new senator from Idaho,&#8221- Craig spokesman Dan Whiting told the Associated Press. The only circumstances in which Craig might try to complete his term, Whiting said, would require a prompt overturning of his conviction for disorderly conduct in a men&#8217-s room at the Minneapolis airport, as well as Senate GOP leaders&#8217- agreement to restore Craig&#8217-s committee leaderships posts taken away this week. Those scenarios are unlikely, Whiting said.

Craig, a three-term Republican, met Wednesday with Idaho Gov. C.L. &#8221-Butch&#8221- Otter, R, to discuss a transition in which Otter would name his Senate replacement, Whiting said. Even if Craig were to complete his term, he said, the senator would not seek re-election in 2008. Whiting said Craig remains intent on clearing his name through the legal process in Minnesota and by having the Senate ethics committee address his claim that his misdemeanor conviction should not be a matter for action by the panel. […]

UPDATE: How US Senator Larry Craig managed to fool InTrade-TradeSports.

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UPDATE: InTrade-TradeSports should have expired the Larry Craig event derivative today, on October 4, 2007, and not on September 5, 2007.

InTrade-TradeSports should have expired the Larry Craig event derivative today, on October 4, 2007, and not on September 5, 2007. That&#8217-s their main error. Last September, they expired this event derivative on the basis on Larry Craig stating his &#8220-intent to resign&#8221- &#8212-which is different than to announce an upcoming or effective resignation. Larry Craig later changed his &#8220-intent&#8221- &#8212-he then intended to stay in the US Senate (providing he would be able to withdraw his guilty plea). Unfortunately, today, a judge ruled against his attempt to dismiss his guilty plea. So, US Senator Larry Craig is announcing today that:

  1. He is not resigning from the US Senate-
  2. He will not seek re-election for his US Senate seat.

The condition #2 is sufficient to expire the December 2007 Larry Craig contract on the &#8220-yes&#8221- side. (&#8221-Yes&#8221-, he is announcing his &#8220-intention not to run in 2008&#8243-.)

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UPDATE: Craig hopes to redeem himself for future lucrative job as lobbyist.

InTrade-TradeSports is still plagued by the North Korea Missile scandal.

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Any good journalist writing up a piece on InTrade or interviewing John Delaney does mention the North Korea Missile scandal.

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Bet on It! – (page two – page three + a crappy listing of exchanges) – by Spectrum&#8217-s Steven Cherry

[…] Last year, a poorly worded contract by Tradesports caused a ruckus when some bettors lost money. Trade­sports had set up a market to predict whether North Korea would test a long-range ­missile—which was defined as sending a missile beyond the country’s airspace. Those who bought that contract, which expired on 31 July 2006, thought they had won when a North Korean missile flew 442 kilometers (275 miles) into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). However, the contract also specified that the source of the confirming information had to be the U.S. Department of Defense, which declined to release any specifics about the test. Despite a White House statement that confirmed the missile “went out about 275 miles,” Tradesports awarded the contract to those who bet against a successful test. […]

More Information:

Event derivative trader &#8220-Vancheeswaran&#8221-:

[…] Bryan Whitman ([email protected]) explicitly stated in print, in press conferences, and by email that North Korea fired multiple missiles into the Sea of Japan. For instance, “North Korea fired a long-range Taepodong-2 missile and six short- and medium-range Scud and Nodong missiles. All landed in the Sea of Japan without incident.”

National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, in a press conference at the White House, stated that the missiles “went out about 275 miles” into the Sea of Japan.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/07/20060704-1.html

There are many other examples of the U.S. military and government (not just the press) confirming that the missiles were launched and approximately where they landed. […]

Prediction markets is a meta forecasting tool.

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Bet on It! – (page two – page three + a crappy listing of exchanges) – by Steven Cherry

[…] Chris F. Masse, a [] consultant in Sophia Antipolis, France, who specializes in prediction markets, says that by 2010, “10 percent of Fortune 500 companies will have gone public about their use of internal prediction markets, and probably another 10 percent will be testing some projects.” […]

As [Robin] Hanson notes, “the winners are attracted by losers, just as wolves are attracted by sheep.” […]

I made a point to this journalist, and since he has not published it, I will share it with you. I said that prediction markets, as an information aggregation mechanism, is a meta forecasting tool, since prediction markets feed on all the other forecasting tools. Do you, guys, agree with my censored statement?

I also made a sidebar comment to him. I said that David Perry of Consensus Point is the major evangelizer of the use of internal prediction markets, these days &#8212-once you have acknowledged Google&#8217-s public input. Agree, disagree?

Ron Paul is being silenced, BetFair is victimized in the US, and, finally, Chris Masse is censored &#8212-but we all try to resist. :-D We will defeat these three conspiracies (which I suspect Bo Cowgill is part of), ultimately. :-D

Go reading the article, if you haven&#8217-t done already (and then read Mike Giberson&#8217-s comments). &#8212- Bet on It! – (page two – page three) &#8212- Via Steve Roman

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UPDATE: Robin Hanson comments&#8230-

I don’t that much care about terminology here, but I do agree that prediction markets should shine best at the meta level, when competing institutions try to draw what insight they can from other institutions running in parallel.

FREAKONOMICS HAS SUCCEEDED IN PERSUADING POPSCI PPX TO CREATE A JATROPHA BIOFUEL PREDICTION MARKET.

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Victory of the mind over matter!!!!!!

The PopSci PPX prediction exchange has finally created a jatropha biofuel prediction market, as the Freakonomics blog was suggesting them to do.

[…] some Goldman Sachs data on the estimated cost per barrel of fuel made from a variety of sources:

Cellulose: $305
Wheat: $125
Rapeseed: $125
Soybean: $122
Sugar Beets: $100
Corn: $83
Sugar Cane: $45
Jatropha: $43

Now, the second part of the equation is to promote this new prediction market, so it gets traded and a running-time probabilistic prediction is generated. (The interaction between a blog audience and a prediction market is part of my concept of X group. I&#8217-m bullish on that.)

Next: Freakonomics + PopSci PPX = Not yet an X group + THE FREAKONOMICS BLOG AND THE JATROPHA PREDICTION MARKET AT POPSCI PPX NOW FORM AN X GROUP.

Previous blog posts by Chris F. Masse:

  • The CFTC is going to close the comments in 9 days. We have 9 days left to convince the CFTC to accept FOR-PROFIT prediction exchanges (e.g., InTrade USA or BetFair USA), and counter the puritan and sterile petition organized by the American Enterprise Institute (which has on its payroll Paul Wolfowitz, the bright masterminder of the Iraq war).
  • Forrest Nelson valids Emile Servan-Schreiber.
  • Averaging One’s Guesses
  • Americans love rankings, but Americans hate to be assessed subjectively.
  • A libertarian view on the Internet betting and gambling industry in the United States of America
  • The CFTC is going to close the comments in 10 days. We have 10 days left to convince the CFTC to accept FOR-PROFIT prediction exchanges (e.g., InTrade USA or BetFair USA), and counter the puritan and sterile petition organized by the American Enterprise Institute (which has on its payroll Paul Wolfowitz, the bright masterminder of the Iraq war).
  • The Numbers Guy

Cooperation between BetFair and the British Horseracing Authority: IT IS WORKING.

No GravatarVia betting market expert Niall O&#8217-Connor, The Guardian:

Tom and Mark are the betting analysts in the security department at the British Horseracing Authority, and the breadth and power of the information at their disposal is remarkable. The sport in general now accepts that Betfair works closely with the regulators to fight corruption. It is still startling, though, to see it at first hand. To the analysts, individual accounts are numbers, not names, and the identities of those behind them remain Betfair&#8217-s business unless the investigators have cause for concern. Every bet placed on Betfair is logged on the system within seconds, while at any one time, around 100 &#8220-flagged&#8221- accounts will be receiving particular attention. Bets are recorded, patterns noted and, where necessary, local stewards informed of suspicious betting patterns. On the other side of the desk, another member of the department is compiling information received from the betting analysts and elsewhere, which may eventually become evidence for a BHA disciplinary panel. [&#8230-]

&#8220-When we first signed the memorandum of understanding with Betfair [which allowed the department access to the exchange&#8217-s betting information] we were sending &#8216-red alerts&#8217- to local stewards all the time,&#8221- he says, &#8220-which meant that we had deep concerns about the betting patterns on a particular horse. Now, I can hardly remember the last time we sent out a red alert. [&#8230-]

Great.

There aren&#8217-t any &#8220-memorandum of understanding&#8221- between TradeSports-InTrade and the US sporting bodies.

Previous: BetFair has an anti-fraud team whereas InTrade-TradeSports has none.

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UPDATE: Chris Hibbert comments on the lack of cooperation between TradeSports and the sports bodies (which is a fact)&#8230-

Don’t the US Sporting Bodies consider betting (other than regulated domestic bodies) to be illegal? Why would TradeSports approach them? Why would it read any missives they sent? And vice versa, why would the domestic bodies contact or welcome contact from TS?

If TS offered to provide info on suspicious activities, the American authorities would ask for a list of all Americans in their DB, and then go after anyone they received details on. This isn’t useful to TS. British authorities, OTOH, make a distinction between good customers and bad customers, and believe there are many more of the former than the latter.

UPDATE: Mike Giberson makes a counter-point&#8230-

Chris Hibbert makes a good point, but given that NFL security reportedly maintains contacts with illegal gambling operations to help the NFL detect possible corruption, presumably the NFL and other U.S. sports leagues could work out some arrangement with legal companies operating outside the United States, such as TradeSports, that wouldn’t require the companies to help the U.S. enforce its local laws.

Read the previous blog posts by Chris F. Masse:

  • Terrorism Futures
  • InTrade-TradeSports and BetFair-TradeFair should take a close look at Cantor Fitzgerald’s strategy to gain a share of the $100 billion U.S. gambling industry.
  • The secrecy-seeking Mark Davies is solely to blame for all this mess… but this vibrating BetFair spin doctor has managed to repair the PR damages quite brillantly, it shall be said.
  • A Betting Exchange = A Bookmaker —> !??
  • BetFair’s new bet matching logic + BetFair Malta’s trading on the multiples
  • Dick Cheney, the new Churchill?
  • BetFair Malta’s combo market maker (trading algorithm + human market makers) operating on the multiples

The simExchange on July video game sales

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This is the fifth month the simExchange video game prediction market has traded contracts on console hardware and the second month, the simExchange has traded contracts on 10 software SKUs. Contracts are settled against the NPD Group&#8217-s monthly unit sales data.

Sony&#8217-s PS3 sales came in line with market expectations at 159,000 units. The simExchange market expected 168,000 units to be sold in the month of July. PSP sales were also inline, coming in at 214,000 units, the market expected 209,000 units. Both Nintendo&#8217-s Wii and Microsoft&#8217-s Xbox 360 surprised the market with 425,000 units and 170,000 units sold respectively. The market had only expected 353,000 units for the Wii and 137,000 units for the Xbox 360. Sales of the Nintendo DS disappointed the market, coming in at 405,000 units. The market had expected 473,000 units.

It appears the market was originally correct when it had forecast the Xbox 360 to outsell the PS3 despite the PS3&#8217-s price cut. The market sold off the Xbox 360 July future from the 160,000 units range after believing the leak of the Xbox 360&#8217-s upcoming price cut would deter potential buyers, which in retrospect was an overreaction.

Overall, July software sales came in below the market&#8217-s expectations at $419.2 million. The simExchange had expected sales about 12.8% higher, between $459 – $487 million. It appears traders were generally bullish this month, expecting 16.79% more in total units for all software SKUs tracked in July.

The following tables compare market expectations on the simExchange and actual results as reported by the NPD Group. Expectations by leading analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan are also presented for comparison purposes.

The Sime Exchange - tables July 2007

* NPD Group sales data
** The simExchange trading data
*** Games Industry, August 20, 2007

How exactly does this work?

Gamers and developers sign up on the simExchange for a free trading account. Using virtual currency called DKP, players buy virtual futures contracts that are under-predicting sales and short sell futures that are over-predicting sales. This concept is widely known as &#8220-the Wisdom of the Crowd&#8221- and this system is known as a &#8220-prediction market.&#8221-

This article was crossposted from the simExchange Official Blog and The simExchange Research.

Some global warming updates from GISS

Intrade (or any prediction exchange wanting to compete), please list global warming contracts!

The information will probably end up saving lives, as we can more efficiently allocate finite resources to global warming research and reduction (vs. preventative healthcare, disease control, micro loans, etc.). For instance, we spend a lot of money on the AIDS pandemic in Africa, but polluted water and malaria each claim more victims. The investment allocations could be tweaked, quite a bit.

In today&#8217-s WSJ, Goddard Institute of Space Studies finds that:

The latest twist in the global warming saga is the revision in data at NASA&#8217-s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, indicating that the warmest year on record for the U.S. was not 1998, but rather 1934 (by 0.02 of a degree Celsius).

Canadian and amateur climate researcher Stephen McIntyre discovered that NASA made a technical error in standardizing the weather air temperature data post-2000. These temperature mistakes were only for the U.S.- their net effect was to lower the average temperature reading from 2000-2006 by 0.15C.

The new data undermine another frightful talking point from environmentalists, which is that six of the 10 hottest years on record have occurred since 1990. Wrong. NASA now says six of the 10 warmest years were in the 1930s and 1940s, and that was before the bulk of industrial CO2 emissions were released into the atmosphere.

Those are the new facts. What&#8217-s hard to know is how much, if any, significance to read into them. NASA officials say the revisions are insignificant and should not be &#8220-used by [global warming] critics to muddy the debate.&#8221- NASA scientist Gavin Schmidt notes that, despite the revisions, the period 2002-2006 is still warmer for the U.S. than 1930-1934, and both periods are slightly cooler than 1998-2002.

Still, environmentalists have been making great hay by claiming that recent years, such as 1998, then 2006, were the &#8220-warmest&#8221- on record. It&#8217-s also not clear that the 0.15 degree temperature revision is as trivial as NASA insists. Total U.S. warming since 1920 has been about 0.21 degrees Celsius. This means that a 0.15 error for recent years is more than two-thirds the observed temperature increase for the period of warming. NASA counters that most of the measured planetary warming in recent decades has occurred outside the U.S. and that the agency&#8217-s recent error would have a tiny impact (1/1000th of a degree) on global warming.

If nothing else, the snafu calls into question how much faith to put in climate change models. In the 1990s, virtually all climate models predicted warming from 2000-2010, but the new data confirm that so far there has been no warming trend in this decade for the U.S. Whoops. These simulation models are the basis for many of the forecasts of catastrophic warming by the end of the century that Al Gore and the media repeat time and again. We may soon be basing multi-trillion dollar policy decisions on computer models whose accuracy we already know to be less than stellar.

What&#8217-s more disturbing is what this incident tells us about the scientific double standard in the global warming debate. If this kind of error were made by climatologists who dare to challenge climate-change orthodoxy, the media and environmentalists would accuse them of manipulating data to distort scientific truth. NASA&#8217-s blunder only became a news story after Internet bloggers played whistleblower by circulating the new data across the Web.

Cross-posted from CavBet

Read the previous blog posts by Caveat Bettor:

  • The Democrat SC Showdown: Intrade v. Zogby
  • Zogby beats Intrade in predicting Nevada caucus winner Clinton.
  • The GOP SC and Dem NV Showdown: Intrade v. Zogby
  • Latest Intrade v. Zogby contest is up.
  • Who said prediction markets were perfect?
  • Intrade markets and Zogby polls agree in New Hampshire
  • The Iowa Showdown: Zogby v. Intrade

OReilly Media Money:Tech Conference

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If you haven&#8217-t seen this take a look: http://conferences.oreillynet.com/pub/w/64/about.html

The relevant bit:

Sample sessions and topics for Money:Tech include:

  • Prediction markets work better than that other market
  • Prediction markets are finally coming of age, becoming spooking-effective at predicting everything from movements in financial markets to American Idol winners. They are poised to go mainstream, and here&#8217-s how.

In a brief email exchange with Paul Kedrosky, he said that he was struggling to find good content for a session like this.

Any thoughts or suggestions for him?

~alex

How to profit from tournament betting on Betfair

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Predicting the shift in odds caused by knockout competitions can be extremely profitable and lends itself excellently to tennis.

The odds on at least one competitor winning a tournament will always be 100%. However, as the tournament progresses and the number of competitors lesson then so do the odds of the remaining competitors and the 100% gets redistributed as each round is completed. For example should someone trading at 4.00 be knocked out of a competition then there is suddenly 25% of probability that needs to be redistributed.

This strategy lends itself very well to tennis as competitors are always being knocked out at differing timescales and also you are looking for one of the favorites to progress to the next round early whilst his close rivals are still to play (it also helps if the player concerned has a relatively easy next round). You then back this player. If any of his rivals should be knocked out of the competition then the price on the player you have backed will come in significantly. And even if all of his close rivals do progress the price will only drift ever so slightly. This is an excellent low risk strategy as the following example shows.

Nikolay Davydenko was priced at 10.5 (9.52% chance of winning) 3rd favourite for a very open tournament in
Paris. He had already qualified for the third round and all his close rivals were still to play so I backed him for ?25. Inevitably a couple of his rivals lost and his price went down to 8.00 (12.5% chance of winning). He was due to play the next round first and was a hot favourite priced around 1.2 I figured he would still progress further and his odds would shorten dramatically so to protect my poison I layed him for ?25 at 1.2 during this match. Which then meant if he went out I would lose nothing. He duly won and I lost ?5 however his price to win the tournament had now gone down to 5 (20% chance of winning tournament). Obviously I let this bet stand as once again all his rivals were yet to play and Yet again a close rival lost and his price again went down to 3.25 (30% chance of winning) It was then I greened up and made myself to ensure a ?55 profit whoever won. This ended up being a ?50 profit as I had lost ?5 during the earlier Lay.

As you can see providing you do your homework and keep an eye on the times the matches take place. (All this information is available on the atptennis.com ot the tournament website) this strategy can prove to be extremely profitable for very low risk. Obviously this strategy can work for any tournament in any sport for example should a team like Manchester United get through to the next round of the FA cup in a lunchtime kick off before everybody else is set to play it might be worth backing them in the hope that one or more of their rivals e.g. Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal lose that afternoon.

I will be using this principle and backing Maria Sharapova currently available at 5.9 on Betfair to win the womens US Open tennis which begins this week.

Should you require any further information go to

www.tradeonsports.co.uk

www.tradeonsports.blogspot.com

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Midas Oracle

The Truth of the Source Code – by George Tziralis of Ask Markets

Previous blog posts by Chris F. Masse:

  • Is that HubDub’s Nigel Eccles on the bottom left of that UK WebMission pic?
  • Collective Error = Average Individual Error – Prediction Diversity
  • When gambling meets Wall Street — Proposal for a brand-new kind of finance-based lottery
  • The definitive proof that it’s presently impossible to practice prediction market journalism with BetFair.
  • The Absence of Teams In Production of Blog Journalism
  • Publish a comment on the BetFair forum, get arrested.
  • If I had to guess, I would say about 50 percent of the “name pros” you see on television on a regular basis have a negative net worth. Frightening, I know.