One of the first serious sports betting offerings on Facebook has launched in the shape of 2BET2. The social betting app gives players the chance to earn XP to unlock new leagues as they bet on the outcome of a number of sports. Odds are “derived in the same way as a Vegas sports book would calculate them,” and are updated regularly to ensure accuracy.
“Users love the social hooks within the game,” said CEO Adriaan Brink. “By showing players their friends’ bets and allowing them to taunt or respect these bets we achieve a level of social interaction far higher than one sees in many other Facebook games. This – together with the Challenge-a-Friend functionality really brings home the difference between 2BET2 and other betting games.”
Players can bet against each other or against the house on most major sports including this weekend’s action in the NFL playoffs. Betting is done using virtual currency (BB$) issued free of charge and they’re topped up daily with other bonuses. BB$ are currently for fun only and aren’t redeemable against real money. If you run out of tokens you can buy more meaning that you can bet with money if you wish. The trend of selling virtual tokens is likely to get even bigger as social gaming grows.
There’s been speculation floating around that Facebook will allow real money gambling in the near future but at the moment it remains just that – speculation. The world’s largest social network did change its rules towards gambling advertising earlier in the year and it will mean sites like 2BET2 are able to get more traffic than was possible before. When that happens free gambling sites such as this one will be well-placed to take advantage and move into any online gambling that springs up on Facebook.
