Recently I got to sit down with I Want Isk and ask him a couple of questions about the EVE gambling site iwantisk.com that he created back in 2013
1.First, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a coder full time. I dislike having bosses and as such I have coded things that I myself own that can generate residual income.
2. What does your website currently offer to its clients?
We currently offer the ability to gamble safely and securely using EVE online ISK. It is also in a fun real time manner. We have slots, raffles and scratchcards oh and don’t forget the stellar pool, which awards once every 24 hours to 60 random players in varying amounts.
3. Where do you hope to go in the future and what services can we expect I Want ISK to be providing in the near future?
In the future of iwantisk.com lies more games, features, free giveaways, in game events, and even guides to help players gamble correctly and responsibly. We hate to see players losing their ISK. We get our cut regardless, but another player is taking their ISK and it usually has to do with misused leverage. There is no one strategy to win, but there are many strategies to help you gain an edge and lose less, which can mean the difference between loss and profit.
4. Many sites dealing in the outside-game use of ISK have been known to or alleged to participate in RMT. What is your sites policy on RMT and do you believe it should be allowed?
IF Real Money Trading of ISK were allowed, not only would my site not be able to exist due to legal issues, as people would be able to gamble and trade their ISK for money, but the ISK wouldn’t be worth anything. The value and adrenaline of the games just wouldn’t exist. I am immensely surprised at how well CCP has been able to keep out the RMTers but also find it weird that they can’t climb up the ladder and stop the head supplier. Maybe I am just oblivious to how it all works and maybe they just can’t track it. We definitely don’t believe that allowing RMT would be a good thing in EvE.
5. Since your website contains many the same games as a casino, does your site have a set amount of profit that it pays back? Casinos in Vegas have to pay back 93% by law. (For instance)
Actually, there was about 2 months of research that went into the odds calculation of a slot machine and our machines are just like Vegas machines. They are coded to be completely random! We have spreadsheets that help us determine the odds and prizes for each combination. Our cut across the site averages out at 2%. We take more cut (temporarily) but give that back to you in the form of achievements, tokens, level up bonuses, monthly leaderboard prizes, and the stellar pool. This means that for every 100 billion that we award on the site in one way or another, we probably make about 2 billion profit after everyone, including bankers, are paid. Raffles work the same way, leaving us with only about 2 – 3% in house cuts.
6. Did you play EVE before you created the site and if so, for how long?
Yes I actually did play EVE for about 2 years before I created EVEalopalous and iWantISK.com. I used to make about 1 billion ISK per 2 weeks at 2 hours a day using the market buying regionally up to 10 jumps from Jita and then creating hauling contracts for players once I had enough stocked up in one station. I have assets in over 200 stations from the market days.
7. What gave you the idea for I Want Isk?
I have always wanted to create a gambling site for EVE but didn’t have the coding knowledge. Seeing other sites finally come up with the idea made me focus my coding on that gambling site.
8. Finally he had this to say for any aspiring EVE coders out there!
If I had one thing to say to any coders out there about coding for EVE, it is brutal but it hardens your code! People will use tactics that are illegal in real life to bring a bad name to your services. Don’t give up! If you keep coding and bringing users a good reliable service, you build a fan base and eventually start to get more and more successful 😉 . Even out of game, EVE has taught me real life skills. I would have to say EVE is the only game I have played so long and the only game I have coded an app for. New coders, again, don’t give up! You’ll get there!
– Michele Askiras
