About this app
How to play West Town
VIP operations have changed drastically over year last ten years. In October 2020, a new code of conduct came into force in the UK following a consultation process between the Gambling Commission and the Betting and Gaming Council.
This required operators to subject players to rigorous checks before signing up new VIPs, including having their betting behaviour being closely monitored.
Operators were also banned from incentivising customers based on losses, and reward programmes must be overseen by senior management. The code restricts any player under the age of 25 from taking part.
What is West Town?
Enda Kendrick, chief executive of service provider Veltium, similarly says the largest UK and European sharp-betting groups have moved rapidly into US prediction markets. He believes there are also more than 100 smaller operations, ranging from individual traders to teams of around 10, interested in entering the regulated US market.
Yet the presence of professional counterparties complicates the customer-facing idea that prediction markets merely allow users to trade opinions with one another. As Kendrick puts it, two ordinary customers are not going to place $10 million or $20 million behind the Philadelphia Eagles. Markets at that scale require institutions.
For Marantelli, the exchange format could also cause some customers to lose money faster than they would with a conventional sportsbook. The ability to enter and exit positions creates a perception of flexibility, but that optionality can encourage users to commit more of their bankroll.
What is West Town?
“If you’re buying or selling one-day options, that is not investing. It is not speculating. It is gambling,” Buffett said during an interview with CNBC. “There’s nobody who can explain why they’re buying an option for one day.”
Buffett, who built his fortune buying “wonderful businesses” at fair prices and holding them for the long term, believes the public has mistakenly adopted a get-rich-quick mindset.
“We’ve never had people in a more gambling mood,” Buffett observed.
