From here:

The application.

This software is for sale. It is active at http://bitthingy.net/btc_lottery/public/ There is no money in the pool, and no bonuses paid out. It is up merely to demonstrate how the software works.

Purchase includes all software, and 5 hours of support to get the site up and running. It does not include the domain. Serious offers and inquiries only.

*******************************************************************************

Description:
Bitcoin lottery with a progressive pool, bonus free rolls, and bonus payouts. Players sign up with a bitcoin address, and are provided a deposit address. A daemon sweeps the accounts periodically to check for deposits. Once the daemon detects an available balance, the player will be able to play a pick-3 lottery. The daemon also sends notification to an off-site host that sweeps the wallet.

In addition to the gaming board, there is a small API to retrieve previous draws, as well as current pool information.

For every draw there is a 1:10 chance of winning a free roll, a 1:20 chance of winning a bonus payout, and a 1/6 chance of getting a small advertisement. This provides an addition revenue vector. The bonus engine can be modified to add other kinds of bonuses, such as coupons, and also modified to change the winning percentages.

The current configuration is a 40/60 split between the house and the pool. House money is used for bonus payouts. This is also configurable.

Components:
Game app - This is built on Laravel, and holds all of the code related to the game, including the front end and the daemon. Laravel is a php-based framework, and the app is built on a MySql database. The front-end is vanilla Javascript and jQuery. Most of the graphics were nabbed of off the Internet and are in the public domain. My own minor artwork is included.

Admin app - This is also built on Laravel, and serves to handle some of the automated tasks needed to manage the accounts. This is meant to add a layer of security. In the event that the game server is compromised, there are no funds available on the game site to steal. The app also includes a MySql database for the eventuality that the admin server is compromised. The admin app uses the Blockchain API for wallet transfers. No need to run a local wallet.

Scripts - various scripts for building the database, and testing payout and bonus algorithm.

Security:
No personally identifiable information is stored on the game host. Only public addresses are stored in the database, so there are no private keys that can be stolen. Transactions take place in the database only; there are no actual funds being transferred. There is currently no way to refund player accounts, and that was intentional design choice. The game is set up so that the players get a precise number of plays, with no funds left over, and thus no reason to request a refund.

I think this is a fun idea, and I believe a first iteration of this could be done quite simply. I actually think you could get this off the ground for a few hundred dollars. Just doing some armchair estimating here, but I cannot believe that a metal QR code is going to cost more than $50. A GPS locator is $80 average, according to the Google. Weather balloons are remarkably cheap, $20-$40. With Helium, I would be surprised if it cost more than $250. After that it is all PR work which only costs your time. You can create accounts on the various social media sites and forgo any need for a website right now.

If I were you, I would start out by soliciting active Bitcoin related businesses to donate to the pool, as well as purchase supplies. If that doesn't pan out, try local businesses, or the ACM chapter at your nearest university. I would specifically contact under-represented organizations that could use some publicity also. Offer a firm deal, something like 'For $50, I will include your organization as a partner/sponsor in 2 press releases, plus at least 1 mention on each of our social media sites per day'.

Good luck!

Yes. I can't run it.

As is, 4BTC. The game logic is solid, the back-end is solid, and the daemon required to synchronize the blockchain with accounts is complete. There is no admin panel to handle site configurations yet, and the bonus engine is not yet implemented. The bonus engine is going to generate things like free rolls, small btc payouts, or occasional ads. If I get those both completed, then I would probably ask 6btc. I have 100+ hours of development, and it is up and running, so obviously not vaporware. I would keep the domain name.

Actually, I would very much like to sell it. I can't legally run a game from where I live, so it isn't going to help me at all.

That may be, but it doesn't change my suspicions. It is pretty easy to create a sample little script to do something/anything and share it on Github or Bitbucket.


One can always find reasons to fail. A portfolio with for-hire projects demonstrates a range of experience. A portfolio with personal projects should show range and depth of skill set. Honestly, I have never, ever been asked stupid trick questions in a consultation/interview. The first question is almost always "Tell me about yourself", followed by "We have looked at your portfolio, and let's talk about it". I don't associate with a lot of other freelancers though, so my experience may be completely unique.

Based on my experience, I would recommend to Glumanda to put together some sample code to share on Github. It doesn't have to be a big or complex code. My portfolio contains a stupid little log-in form where I was playing around with shadows and text. The level of effort to put together a small portfolio far outweighs the effort required to get people to pay attention to what you have to offer when you have nothing to show.

Min

I suspect that until you can prove that you can actually write code, nobody is going to be interested in your services. It is going to be very difficult for you to find work without proof.

Cool. Thanks for the bug report.

I also forgot to mention that there is an api of sorts to return all plays to date in JSON format:
http://bitthingy.net/btc_lottery/public/draws

No luck. 3 numbers have been preselected and hashed. When someone draws the correct 3, the game is over. With 39 numbers, there are over 9100 possible combinations.

Hi! Thanks for the feedback. I think you are right. I need to adjust the font in the graphic.

Play may seem sluggish due to the hashing function that must take place on the back end. The winning numbers are not stored on site, so the submissions have to be hashed each time. In order to prevent brute force attacks on the server, the algorithm is designed to take a few seconds before returning the result.

Thank you to those who volunteered for testing. I decided to go ahead and open the site to anyone that wants to participate in testing. The winner of this testing round will win .1BTC.
https://blockchain.info/address/1BWs8Uso1BLcTNiofsacFgo6QByEBVNZWe
No email address, or any other information is required, or saved, by the application.

bitthingy.net/btc_lottery/public

There are roughly 40 slots available, and I will add more as needed. To register, simply provide a BTC wallet address, and select enter. I would recommend generating a new single use address. If there are slots available, you will have .1BTC of game credit to use, at .001BTC per play.

Please let me know if something breaks, or if you have questions.
admin@bitthingy.net

Thank you to those who volunteered for testing. I decided to go ahead and open the site to anyone that wants to participate in testing. The winner of this testing round will win .1BTC.
https://blockchain.info/address/1BWs8Uso1BLcTNiofsacFgo6QByEBVNZWe
No email address, or any other information is required, or saved, by the application.

bitthingy.net/btc_lottery/public

There are roughly 40 slots available, and I will add more as needed. To register, simply provide a BTC wallet address, and select enter. I would recommend generating a new single use address. If there are slots available, you will have .1BTC of game credit to use, at .001BTC per play.

Please let me know if something breaks, or if you have questions.
admin@bitthingy.net

In general, it looks pretty good.  I did notice one issue (using Firefox 33).

Padding issues on some pages:

When I have a choice, I do front end development and design, but I have experience front to back. This is my Portfolio, such as it is. Also, I have links to other projects in my signature.

I am just a few days away from doing a public round of testing with Bitthingy, so I am just starting to evaluate options for my next project. I would love to find out more about you, and about your needs. PM me if you would like to continue the conversation.

Could you expand on your needs a bit? It would be greatly appreciated if you could share what specific skill sets you want, required technologies, etc. Thanks.

I have a website that will be going live soon. (see https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=821493.msg9191696#msg9191696)

I am reaching out to website owners that may be interested in doing some tit-for-tat advertising with me. No money involved. I am hoping to find a few entrepreneurs to help me explore a unique marketing vector. PM me if you want to chat.

Min

Do you mean like issue tickets, and then hold a drawing, like a paper lottery?

****cross-posted from the gambling section ****

A while back I was approached to build a user interface for a web-based Bitcoin lottery. That client moved on to a different project, so I was left with what I think is a pretty snazzy front end ready to be bolted to a back end. So I went ahead and created the back-end.







I am reaching out to try and find 10 people or so willing to test out the app. If you are interested in help test, send me a PM. I know there are dozens of others here looking for testers also, so I am hoping that the fact that I am going to fund the pool is a little incentive. I won't open it until I can find enough people.

As for the future of the app, I am still undecided. I am open to discussing sale of the application if someone happens to be interested.

- Single page web application.
- Log-in only requires a valid Bitcoin address.
- Laravel backend.
- MySql database.
- No sensitive data stored on site. ( no passwords or private keys)

I can arrange a demo for those interested. Just send me a PM. Other then the stuff that comes with Laravel, the game code and account management code is mine.