Over the last couple of days I've gotten some private messages about the betting disagreements in the forum. Interestingly none of the PMs have come from the people involved. Some want to ban betting, some want to somehow have me make people pay, and some are just tired of this argument spilling over into multiple threads. Now I could talk things over with Denny and the staff and start throwing out rules but that's doesn't seem right. Arbitrarily making new rules makes this place seem more like a forum and less like a community. I have always believed and acted like RipCityTwo was and is a community of passionate Blazer fans. Communities have get togethers, meet and greets, and make friendships that extend beyond the anonymity of the internet. Most importantly a community treats each other with respect and understanding. These betting disagreements are starting to poison this community and I'm not sure what to do. Personally I love betting and gambling. Hell, my moniker is gambling based. Over the years I myself have made bets on the forum, two were paid and one never was. We regularly have contests and giveaways on here. I'm not in favor of banning bets and gambling in the forum. Bets can be fun and give the winner bragging rights. @KingAlbertoJrSpeed @HCP @Draco - As someone who has followed this saga, in my nonbinding opinion, these seem like legit bets to me. Are they something you could take to a small claims court? Don't know, don't care. But @HCP and @Draco in reading the posts it really does seem like you both made bets. It would be nice if the three of you could come together and settle this. Money? Swag? Is there anyway the three of you can come together and finally put this to bed? For the rest of you reading this, should we come up with some kind of rules or a way to officiate and certify bets? If for some reason @HCP and @Draco don't want to settle this should we all chip in $10 each to pay @KingAlbertoJrSpeed to make this mess go away? I'm really not sure what to do here.
No need to make a rule other then people need to pay their bets. We are all right and all wrong at different times. It seems childish to not pay because you were wrong this one time and don't want to admit it but you sure as heck don't mind pointing out when you were right about something every other time.
How about we have Denny add a new emoticon that acts as an official stamp of approval when accepting a bet in the future. Some kind of cartoon wax seal or something. Once someone accepts a bet and uses the stamp, they can never back out or say they didn't agree to the terms. or just use this.
Personally, I'd rather bets be handled via PM. I don't see that they add anything to the discussions and the drama detracts from some good threads. Another thing, if you don't intend to pay up, don't make the bet.
The whole issue I have is I get really tired of it getting played out in the public I. I personally don't give a shit if they made a bet, I don't give a shit if they paid or not, and I sure as hell don't need to see the Doc Rivers level of whining about it. All that said don't make bets unless you are willing to pay them, and if you make a bet online and don't get paid, get over it.
Forum goons are the answer. You send me to see these guys with a thirsty Wookee. I'll tie a 6-pack of Coors Light around HCP's neck and that MF will pay up.
This. I'm a fan of friendly wagering as well. I offered this up as a suggestion, but it didn't go anywhere. I thought because it might be a legal issue with the Blazers or something. IF its okay to have a betting thread, then I vote to make this a sticky and anyone who wants to make a wager can meet here and the public can be the witnesses without having to witness it in every other thread. If a bet is made or tried to be made in another thread, i'm pretty sure the members of the forum would politely remind those participating to take it to the betting thread. I think this helps clean up the board, but lets people keep betting at the same time. If a post is made about a bet in another thread, it should get deleted. If the same person keeps violating this, then they can be suspended or banned for a certain amount of time or something. Sly, I bet you that you will find something that works for all involved, as I know you are a very wise ma...dog!!!
Heh... I did a fantasy sport league from a forum about 5-6 years ago, and the guy paid my entry fee ($50), and I ended up winning the $300 prize pool. I pestered him in PM about it, and even said he could keep the $50 for his cost... I never brang it out in public. I never got paid. I completely forgot about it. lol.
I see what you did there. Word of advice - never make a bet with a dog. They tend to pay up by dropping a half-gnawed nyla-bone on your head at 2 AM.
I will give someone 2:1 odds that HCP never pays up. Any takers? I agree with most that I don't really care about the bets themselves, but the bickering should be in PMs.
