JREF Challenge, Illegal gambling ?

[Brian]

Say you have a dowser. You give him 99 buckets of sand and one with water in it. If he finds the water 9 times out of ten he wins a million bucks. Isn't that a wager with lousy odds and a $0 to $1,000,000 pay off?
Would this be illegal if you followed the letter of the law?

 

[Pyrrho]

Nope. Only if the dowser bets money, which he isn't. Nobody is paying the JREF any fee to take the Challenge. The JREF is not profiting from claimants.

 

[Michael Redman]

Exactly. It's a prize, not a wager.

 

[Kimpatsu]

Personally, I think Randi should be awarded the prize for his supernatural patience with woo-woos.

 

[Jim_MDP]

"Remember, this is an exhibition, not a competion. So please...no wagering."



And I generally dislike Letterman.

 

[Whomp]

Gambling implies that the outcome is uncertain.