BetsGoWild - Social Polling Meets Vegas

BetsGoWild is the latest entrant in the social polling arena, blending user-created polls with a Vegas-style payout. Much like social polling sites MegaBuzz and Sodahead.com (which we recently reviewed), BetsGoWild allows users to create “bets” based on any topic they choose, ranging from current events items such as the outcome of sporting events to personal items, such as betting whether a pair of users can quit smoking in a month.

The site gives each new registrant a set number of “WildBucks” (currently 1500) which they can use to wager on other users' bets. Like real betting, BetsGoWild bets use odds to determine the pay-out for bets based on the number of users participating. If you run out of WildBucks, you can earn more by visiting sponsors, sending invites to others to join the site, doing surveys, or sending feedback. The community aspect of the site comes into play with the ability to tag bets, leave comments, and add friends. The WildBucks system keeps the betting legal, and should keep BetsGoWild from the scrutiny that Second Life is currently undergoing in terms of “virtual” betting since there is no way to buy WildBucks with real-world money.

The real difference between BetsGoWild and other social polling sites seems to be in the prizes. There are prizes for being the first bets to reach a certain number of views and certain number of participants, most active user by a certain date, “richest” user by a certain date, and other categories. BetsGoWild also plans to add in the ability to “purchase” prizes with WildBucks at some point in the future.

My biggest issues with the site itself are with the user interface and lack of clearly explained “bets.” The user interface is based on the company's logo colors, and while lime green may pop nicely in the middle of a logo, as a text color on a white background, it's unreadable. I found myself having to highlight the site's FAQ just to be able to read the questions listed. The FAQ itself omits an explanation of how bets are supposed to work. When a bet is created based on a clearly defined outcome, it's pretty self-explanatory, but how do you bet on something like “I bet you like blondes?” If I don't, I automatically win? The site, like most of the sites I end up reviewing, is in beta release, but when something as simple as a “?” button on a form field doesn't work, it becomes a frustrating user experience. When there are already several sites in the same arena, it's the little things that will keep users coming back. Although I really would like to win a Wii.