And soon (possibly next week) we're going in for an ultrasound and finding out the sex! Even more exciting!
Do you want to use this as a way to make some quick bitcoins and help out a young couple at the same time? Then, ladies and gentlemen, place your bets.
How it works
I'm running a parimutuel betting pool on the sex of my baby. Bet as much as you want by sending bitcoins to one of the following addresses:
IT'S A BOY! at 163oWWKA3C9uQ2UHept19wEPq54JdUGKii
IT'S A GIRL! at 17Qcg9sYFuGSQSj5qPD8K7xRNfHkgNigYb
Send these bitcoins from your own wallet! If you use a service like MyBitcoin your winnings are likely to be lost!
When we find out the sex, I'll take all the bets and split them up between the addresses on the winning side, in proportion to the size of the bet. I'll also take a cut---ten percent, plus any "remainders" after people's winnings are rounded down to fit into eight decimal places. Hopefully it will be enough to help defray the exciting new expenses of being a parent!
Demo
Say the bets break down like this:
Joe bets 5 BTC on "boy"
Susan bets 2 BTC on "boy"
Ed bets 1 BTC on "girl"
Agnes bets 3.14159 BTC on "girl"
That's a total of 11.14159 BTC---7 for "boy" and 4.14159 for "girl". After I take out my 10% cut, there's 10.14159 left in the pool.
Now let's say it turns out it's a girl. Then Ed and Agnes win the pot! I split it up "equally" by sending 2.42115492 to Ed and 7.60627608 to Agnes. (Agnes bet more, so she wins more proportionally.)
On the other hand, if it's a boy, I'll send 7.16245071 to Joe and 2.86498029 to Susan. You can see that you stand to win more by being on the less popular side---it's like a metaphor for Bitcoin itself!
Q&A
Why would I bet on this when BitLotto only keeps 1%?
Because that guy is spending his take on hookers and blow, and I'm spending mine on diapers and college. (In all seriousness, I'm totally cool with the lotteries and what they're doing. This is not an attempt to compete with them on equal grounds---it's more like a charity raffle in my own name.)
How do I know I can trust you?
I have a minor but positive reputation here. If you don't trust me anyway, I guess you shouldn't bet, or bet very little. Personally, I think my cut is good enough that there's no need for me to try and cheat on top of it.
Do you already have some sort of information on the sex that you're withholding?
Not a thing. I can tell you that Jennifer's family all expect a girl (because they've had a lot of boys lately), and my family all expect a boy (because they've had a lot of girls lately). She also expects a boy, but cheerfully admits it's a wild guess. I'm equally prepared(?) for either one.
I'm still not totally clear on how this works?
Then ask away!