It could be inevitable that cyberspace becomes the next frontier that’s paved with gambling dollars. If so, it seems likely that gambling on the Net won’t simply be contained to traditional games, like blackjack, horse races, and football. Perhaps the day will soon come when people can sit down at their personal computers, open their digital wallets, and obtain odds on just about everything
Predictor: Schwartz, Evan I.
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 article on online gambling for Wired magazine, Evan Schwartz writes: ”Despite the dismal odds, it could be inevitable that cyberspace becomes the next frontier that’s paved with gambling dollars. If so, it seems likely that gambling on the Net won’t simply be contained to traditional games, like blackjack, horse races, and football. Perhaps the day will soon come when people can sit down at their personal computers, open their digital wallets, and obtain odds on just about everything: They could compete for cash in live-action videogame tournaments or wager on real-world events such as who will become the next president and whether certain legislation will pass or fail. And the bets will affect the outcomes of those events. Smith Barney’s [gaming analyst Jason] Ader projects that gaming in the U.S. could be a $100 billion industry if it were available on demand to anyone at any time. That works out to $400 per capita – which translates into net losings of $1,600 per year for the average family of four.”
Biography:Evan Schwartz was a 1990s journalist with a computer science degree who covered information technology. He was a former editor at Business Week, where he covered software and digital media and was part of teams that won a National Magazine Award and a Computer Press Award. He also wrote for the New York Times, Wired, and MIT’s Technology Review. His books include “Webonomics” and “Digital Darwinism.” (Author/Editor/Journalist.)
Date of prediction: October 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: Economic structures
Subtopic: Gambling
Name of publication: Wired
Title, headline, chapter name: Wanna Bet?
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://hotwired.lycos.com/collections/internet_law/3.10_gambling_pr.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Stotler, Larry