

Show HN: SportsChimp: If Zynga and Bet365 had a love child. - nav
http://sportschimp.com

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tomasien
As someone who founded a startup that navigated the legal boundaries of an
over-regulated industry, I may suggest that the founders may find comments
that say "not sure if this is legal" a little annoying. I doubt they put their
blood sweat and tears into this without going at least as far as they could to
determine whether they could legally do this.

Now, "I've done something similar and here is what I ran into" or "I'm an
expert and here's what you're up against" - now that's constructive.

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objclxt
Actually, I'm _really_ surprised they got permission from all the sports
leagues to use their trademarks _and_ not have to put some small print in
crediting them. You don't get to use the Premier League logo, for example,
without a licence.

(to answer your second point, I've done a lot of work in the sports area, so
use of league and team logos is something I'm fairly up on).

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tomasien
There you go! That's what I'm talking about!

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fredoliveira
I'm quite confused. From their legal page:

 _To use SportsChimp, you must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the
United States. By using SportsChimp, you represent and warrant that you are
least 18 years old and a resident of the United States._

Isn't this weird? Not only are they saying it's illegal to use this from
outside the US, it is _inside_ the US where they'll have the most trouble
making this work. These terms were probably lifted from some app/service where
they made sense.

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mtjl79
I highly doubt these terms were lifted from another app/service.

I believe the goal of this app is Sportbook related - but with a twist: it's a
game right now. But I see people being upgraded to a "game for fun" to as a
"Look how much money you can make if this was real money." Like Zynga Poker -
but the end goal isn't you buying more Zynga poker chips to play for fun, but
rather bet real money on sports.

No idea who is behind this, but I wouldn't be surprised if a Sportsbook in
Costa Rica, UK or Europe is bankrolling/investing in this. The Sportbook
industry is declining each year as less and less people are gambling on sports
as it seems the 20-30 year olds aren't as interested as the generations before
them. This is a great way to create a new generation of sport gamblers.

My 2 cents.

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gearoidoc
When I saw Ashton Kutcher in the demo image it made me think that this was his
latest venture - but I can't find any mention of him investing in this on
Google. Thus I feel I cant trust the company behind this. No trust = no
signup.

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boglin
Not all of Kutcher's investments are public ... just saying

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gearoidoc
Yep for sure, but the appearance of Mila Kunis and Fez from That 70's Show too
increases my skepticism.

I don't think its a coincidence that Kutcher is the "main user" in the demo
either...

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Ryan_Shmotkin
I am lost.. can't understand how to use it at all.

Very nice graphics but UX is terrible

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zackyap
I have to agree with this. I don't understand what each button does or what I
have to do to play or win. Nice UI though.

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steve8918
I don't think an app based on likely illegal use of copyrights/trademarks is
something that is sustainable.

My guess is that people may be able to transfer money into accounts, but if
this app get shutdown, customers may lose some or all of their money.

~~~
manish_gill
You don't have to use buy-in using real money in order to play. Right now, the
app is only using a virtual currency, which can be translated into real
winnings.

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benrpeters
I have a similar app (<http://pickmoto.com>) for iPhone and iPad. It's clear
that we can't legally use the logos without a license. But of course the
leagues aren't going to pay attention to indie developers until they are
genuine threats. At that point, maybe you could afford to pay for the license
or work something out.

We decided against risking it with logos because Apple could yank us at a
moment's notice even if we made it into the Store. And considering that some
of the best selling apps are developed by the Leagues, we imagine Apple would
be pretty quick to act if the Leagues asked.

So instead, we're using pennants without logos. Not ideal, but safer.

~~~
jwildman77
I found this app before the season started. I've been playing it with some
friends of mine and it's a lot of fun, you did a great job!

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creativityhurts
I don't think it's good marketing to associate your business with Zynga
nowadays.

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vikramhaer
Tried using it on a Nexus 7, some frustrating issues with UI because it aligns
off to the right instead of taking up the full screen, and some elements are
off the page so not clickable. Might want to try it on different tablets?

Looks really interesting but will rely heavily on getting people to invite
friends and be actively involved, not sure what's going to make it sticky...

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ad93611
What does B$ mean? Maybe there should be a FAQ

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citricsquid
"BANANA BUCKS", their virtual currency.

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nav
View Demo: [http://blog.sportschimp.com/post/33361582535/sportschimp-
dem...](http://blog.sportschimp.com/post/33361582535/sportschimp-demo-video)

Legality:

No buy-in using your credit card. No independent wagers on a specific match-
up.

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shocks
This looks really awesome. I'm quite excited about this! I'm very interested
in betting and this looks like I could have a lot of fun!

Shame I'll never use it, because I don't have Facebook.

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matznerd
Reminds me of a friend's app <http://www.sportspickerapp.com/>

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johncullington
I like the fact there are no information overload. No odds, no team streaks
etc. this is dumb down version. Super!

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slaroia
Love this simple interface...Great way to interact with friends and sports
simultaneously...amazing service

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shalintj
This is so cool.. Using it... loving it... Thanks guys...

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anikendra
Quite interesting concept. Do you guys give real money?

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johncullington
Interesting .... Anyone know who's behind this?

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boglin
Really liked the concept. Is it legal though?

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analog
Using the logos of the sports organisations is probably infringing copyright.

Whether or not the gambling bit is legal would depend on where the company is
based, but then again it's Zynga's love child, you wouldn't expect everything
to be above board would you?

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delinka
s/copyright/trademark/

And it's possible this is not infringement. But it could still land them with
C&D letters or answering a court filing.

The legality of gambling is dependent where their users are located. If it's
illegal to gamble in Virginia, then users of the site in Virginia get into
trouble for gambling or Virginia tries to get the site closed down (or maybe
blocked by ISPs in VA.) But since they're using fake currency and not paying
out in real USD, they'll probably be just fine.

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analog
"Logos may be protected under copyright as artistic works and many trade marks
may therefore also be copyright works."

[http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-applies/c-applies-
faq/c-a...](http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy/c-applies/c-applies-
faq/c-applies-faq-logo.htm)

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shankarmahesh
Nice UI and very simple to play. Love it

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roadmojo
Like the UI. Not sure if its legal.

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ketna
What sound do chimps make? Kerching. Simple.

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abhishekmgupta
it never was so simple, thx guys!!!!

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rahulnb
finally an app that simplifies sports picking!

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aab1d
Love it this is simple!

