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Live odds on the UK election

smarkets.com

11–20 of 28 posts

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#11
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a prediction market - different than a pure gambling website. The prices are set in realtime by the users so there is 'wisdom of the crowd' information for the public.

"wisdom in the crowd" seems like a contradiction. Nice phrase.

There's a big difference between prices emerging and a crowd that discusses a question to come up with a "group answer".

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#12
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a prediction market - different than a pure gambling website. The prices are set in realtime by the users so there is 'wisdom of the crowd' information for the public.

and as far as I know they are the best mechanism to predict the outcome of an election. It's an honest opinion since they are betting their own money independently of their personal preferences.

Are you suggesting that people will make bets in a purely rational way, and only by considering (in this case) what they know about the UK election? I suggest that plenty of people will either bet emotionally, choosing the option they prefer, or psuedo-rationally (i.e. reasoning poorly). I expect many will also use the odds provided on the website to guide their choices.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#13
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a prediction market - different than a pure gambling website. The prices are set in realtime by the users so there is 'wisdom of the crowd' information for the public.

and as far as I know they are the best mechanism to predict the outcome of an election. It's an honest opinion since they are betting their own money independently of their personal preferences.

[deleted]

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#14
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and as far as I know they are the best mechanism to predict the outcome of an election. It's an honest opinion since they are betting their own money independently of their personal preferences.

Are you suggesting that people will make bets in a purely rational way, and only by considering (in this case) what they know about the UK election? I suggest that plenty of people will either bet emotionally, choosing the option they prefer, or psuedo-rationally (i.e. reasoning poorly). I expect many will also use the odds provided on the website to guide their choices.

Possibly not a site like this. But predictions made by bookmakers should in theory be accurate, since the bookmaker has a financial incentive to make them accurate and no political incentive to misrepresent them.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#15
the smarkets dudes are really smart guys, i work across the floor from them at another startup. you should keep an eye on smarkets and the guys behind it, they're always doing/discussing some technologically cool shit.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a prediction market - different than a pure gambling website. The prices are set in realtime by the users so there is 'wisdom of the crowd' information for the public.

The user pays money in the hope of winning more back - it's gambling however you slice it. There is no information of any value here outside the context of the site itself - unless you're claiming that your audience is a representative sample of the UK population?

That's not how prediction markets work. People aren't supposed to bet on whom they want to win. People are supposed to be searching a profit, that is find differences between the odds given in the current market and what they perceive as the true odds.

People who do this consistently over time, tend to accumulate more money, and thus accrue more influence as time goes on. Also people who bet foolishly, e.g. just bet on who they like to see winning, create opportunities for other people to make money of their back.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a prediction market - different than a pure gambling website. The prices are set in realtime by the users so there is 'wisdom of the crowd' information for the public.

The user pays money in the hope of winning more back - it's gambling however you slice it. There is no information of any value here outside the context of the site itself - unless you're claiming that your audience is a representative sample of the UK population?

> The user pays money in the hope of winning more back - it's gambling however you slice it.

That describes investment as well.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#18
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

and as far as I know they are the best mechanism to predict the outcome of an election. It's an honest opinion since they are betting their own money independently of their personal preferences.

Are you suggesting that people will make bets in a purely rational way, and only by considering (in this case) what they know about the UK election? I suggest that plenty of people will either bet emotionally, choosing the option they prefer, or psuedo-rationally (i.e. reasoning poorly). I expect many will also use the odds provided on the website to guide their choices.

The irrational bettors will be driven out of the market, and made money of, by the rational punters.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#19
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The user pays money in the hope of winning more back - it's gambling however you slice it. There is no information of any value here outside the context of the site itself - unless you're claiming that your audience is a representative sample of the UK population?

> The user pays money in the hope of winning more back - it's gambling however you slice it. That describes investment as well.

Indeed - what's your point? Since both generally involve using guesswork (however educated) in an attempt to increase wealth, it seems reasonable to draw a parallel between the two.

Re: Live odds on the UK election

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a prediction market - different than a pure gambling website. The prices are set in realtime by the users so there is 'wisdom of the crowd' information for the public.

The user pays money in the hope of winning more back - it's gambling however you slice it. There is no information of any value here outside the context of the site itself - unless you're claiming that your audience is a representative sample of the UK population?

It's by far the most accurate prediction of the result. People putting their money where their mouth is - generally a lot more reliable than somebody with a clipboard in a shopping center asking voters, or the opinions of a TV reporter.
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