[extropy-chat] Betting on Global Warming

[The Avantguardian]

--- Brett Paatsch <bpaatsch at bigpond.net.au> wrote:

> Robin Hanson wrote:
> 
>  The other possible
> > loophole I keep thinking about is a charity.  If
> the charity helps
> > match bettors, but doesn't take any sort of cut or
> fee for helping
> > those bettors, it seems possible that the charity
> itself would not
> > be prosecuted.
> 
> Are you using charity as a synonym for
> not-for-profit? Reason I ask is
> that I'm not currently across the legal
> distinctions, if any between 
> charity and not-for-profit, in the US, but in
> strictly economic terms,
> it seems to me that even a charity is going to want
> something to 
> offset the costs of hosting such a service. 

I don't see why it would have to be a "charity", an
NPO, or even any kind of dedicated service. What is
there to stop me from drawing up a contract that says,
"I, Stuart LaForge, will pay the Holder and Signee of
this *original* contract $500, IF by 12am January 1,
2010 there is not yet a verifiable... {Palestinian
state, human clone, manned moon base, etc.} Then
simply auctioning it off to the highest bidder on
E-bay. Maybe with some minimum bid or what not. Who
would get prosecuted? Me? Ebay? The guy who buys my
contract?       

The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson

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