Long Bets

I wondered why this is legal and my doubts were resolved in the FAQ.

"Having the winnings become philanthropic gifts solves the legal problem and also introduces an appropriate element of service and generosity to the whole process."

I think my favourite is "Large Hadron Collider will destroy Earth."

Stakes: $1,000

I think the reality might be a little higher than that ;)

The best thing there is Ted Danson winning a bet on the Red Socks.

I wanted to place a long bet about 10 years ago that Lance Armstrong would be exposed for using performance-enhancing drugs. It was after reading a New Yorker article on cycling that made it pretty clear that cheating was the rule. Even though evidence has emerged since then that he did cheat, I suspect I may have lost the bet based on the deadline.

I noticed the Ted Danson bet at that time (he hadn't won it yet!) and was amused.

Danny Hillis wins on bet length: "The universe will eventually stop expanding." No deadline on this one.

Now all we need is a futures market on each of these, and we'll start to see progress.