[daemin]

Him placing the bets or a co-conspirator placing the bets and sharing the profit is the same thing. He is effectively betting on himself saying those words which he then goes on to say.

I'm pretty sure this is the same as match or race fixing to get the payout from bets made.

[BeetleB]

> Him placing the bets or a co-conspirator placing the bets and sharing the profit is the same thing.

So we're in agreement that if he is not profiting from saying it, then it's OK, correct?

> I'm pretty sure this is the same as match or race fixing to get the payout from bets made.

If my friends make a bet that I will/won't do something, and I choose to make one side win, that is not match fixing. I'm sure match fixing only applies to regulated games. If people want to make bets on unregulated games, and lose their shirt, they have only themselves to blame.

Here's a paper on match fixing:

https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/llr/vol56/iss4/9/

For something to be match fixing, the government has to recognize the activity as a sport, and most state laws require the person to benefit from the fixing, which the CEO here is not and/or they require "rule tampering" - there was no rule broken here.

[daemin]

Depends how you count profiting from it, if you only count direct monetary profit, or if you count things such as favours to be profit.

There has to be some motivation for people to do such random things, and even if not directly illegal, they do smell rather fishy and unethical.

T hen again crypto isn't known for its bastion of legality and morality, therefore I would assume there are some deals going on in the background which are probably illegal, and if not that then unethical - not that they would care about that.

[BeetleB]

> or if you count things such as favours to be profit.

There needs to be evidence of such a thing, no?

> There has to be some motivation for people to do such random things, and even if not directly illegal, they do smell rather fishy and unethical.

I have motivation. If people are placing stupid bets on me, I sure as heck want them to suffer for it.

I'm sure some people view a CEO doing this as unethical, but I fully support it. Whoever lost money on that bet had it coming.

Of course, my preference is both sides losing money, but we can't have everything.

Speaking of ethics: There is a reason why betting and gambling are categorized under "vices". If you make any bet on things out of your control, the questionable ethics begins with you. Don't put it on a third party who was not involved in crafting the bet.

I believe in some jurisdictions, private bets are not legally enforceable (i.e. if I make a bet with you and lose, it is my legal right to refuse to pay). There's a good reason for that!