BringIt launches open beta for new gaming site
BringIt, a company that offers gamers the opportunity to challenge friends and earn prize money, announced Friday that it has launched its open beta to users across the world, allowing them to wager cash on BringIt and challenge others to head-to-head gaming on a selection of console titles.
"Gamers have shown great interest and support for competitive gaming, so we are pleased to offer BringIt as a player-driven service that quickly connects gamers, allowing them to play legally for cash while getting a more intense competitive rush," said BringIt CEO and founder Woody Levin in a statement.
BringIt works with any video game platform with online capabilities supporting head-to-head competition. Once users register for the service, they're required to add some money to their BringIt account through PayPal or a major credit card. Once the funds have been received, they can find other players across the globe and challenge them to a game.
So far, BringIt allows players to challenge each other in Madden NFL 2009, Gears of War 2, FIFA 2009, Halo 3, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, Rock Band 2, Super Smash Bros Brawl, and Mario Kart, among others. Once users pick a game, they mutually decide how much of their own cash they want to wager and face off against each other online. Scores are then reported back to BringIt, which then sends the funds to the winning party, while keeping a portion of the payout for itself.
BringIt claims that its service is legal because video games are games of skill and its service does not violate any anti-gambling laws across the world. That said, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and others take issue with BringIt profiting off their IP.
BringIt is currently in open beta and is scheduled for a full-fledged launch at some point in the next four months.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
