How Parimutuel Pools Work

Meme Markets use a parimutuel betting system, where all bets are pooled, and payouts are shared among winners after a random outcome is selected. Here’s how it works:

  1. Place Your Bet: Choose one of two outcomes (e.g., “Dog” or “Cat”) and bet USDT0 via your crypto wallet. All bets go into a single pool.

  2. Pool Closes: A countdown timer (10–60 minutes) signals when betting stops. No further bets are accepted.

  3. Random Outcome: Chainlink VRF, a secure random number generator, selects the winning outcome (e.g., “Dog”).

  4. Rake Deduction: A configurable house fee (rake, e.g., 10%) is deducted from the pool.

  5. Payouts: The remaining pool is distributed pro-rata to bettors who picked the winning outcome. If only one side has bets, all bettors are refunded automatically.

  6. Video Reveal: A random AI-generated video clip from the winning outcome’s video bank plays to announce the result.

Example Scenario of Meme Markets

Consider a Meme Market: “Who came first: Chicken or Egg?”

  • You bet 300 USDT0 on Chicken. Another user bets 200 USDT0 on Egg. A third user bets 500 USDT0 on Chicken.

  • Pool State: Chicken = 800 USDT0, Egg = 200 USDT0, Total = 1,000 USDT0.

  • The timer ends, and the pool closes. The smart contract deducts a 10% rake (100 USDT0), leaving 900 USDT0.

  • Chainlink VRF selects “Chicken” as the winner. A Chicken video plays.

  • Payout: The 900 USDT0 is split among Chicken bettors (800 USDT0 total). Payout factor = 900 ÷ 800 = 1.125x. You receive 337.5 USDT0; the other Chicken bettor gets 562.5 USDT0; Egg bettors get 0 USDT0.

  • If only Chicken had bets, all 1,000 USDT0 would be refunded, with no rake applied.

Why It’s Different from Prediction Markets

  • No Trading: Bets are fixed and cannot be sold or traded, unlike prediction market shares.

  • Odds at Close: Payouts are calculated only after the pool locks, not based on real-time probabilities.

  • Random Outcomes: Results are determined by Chainlink VRF, not event-based predictions.

This system ensures fast, fair, and transparent betting with minimal complexity.

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