vBookie - vBulletin Betting Hack

vBookie

Introduction

vBookie is a 'bookmakers' or betting extension to vBulletin. It enables authorised members to post Events and Outcomes that forum members can bet on. Each Outcome has its own set of odds, and odds can be modified through the life of an Event (bets that are placed are stored with the prevailing odds, so even if the odds change, your users are paid at the correct rate).

Once the results are known, Events can be settled and forums members awarded their winnings.

vBookie uses its own vCash by default, but this has no more use than as 'bragging rights'. However, vBookie also comes with a built-in switch to allow it to use either uCash or Petz money instead. That means that all bets are paid for and settled using uCash or Petz money, making betting even more attractive than just for fun on forums with uShop/Petz installed. Although vBookie does not have any built-in facility to integrate with any other store hacks, it's a very simple job to hack vBookie itself to integrate it with any store/points system you care to use.

Features

• master switch to turn vBookie off
• option to use uCash
• option to use Petz money
• settings to restrict the creation of Events to specific user groups
• settings to restrict which user groups can bet on Events
• settings to restrict which user groups can edit or settle other people's Events
• per-Event, specify whether punters may bet on more than one outcome
• optional 'charity mode' so that the poorest members of the forum always have something to play with
• supplied with a module for vBadvanced

Please click if you install this hack, thanks. Please also let me know - send me an email or a PM. If you'd let me know the forum URL too that'd be cool!

vBookie is free, and will remain free.

Updates

1.0.0 -> 1.0.1

- adds the ability to delete Events. See this post for upgrade instructions if you already have 1.0.0

1.0.1 -> 1.0.2

Corrected a minor bug with the charity mode when using uCash. See this post for manual upgrade instructions from 1.0.1.

1.0.2 -> 1.0.3

Corrected a minor bug with the richest people display when using uCash. Just overwrite includes/functions_vbookie.php with the one from the new Zip file.

1.0.3 -> 1.0.4

Corrected some date display problems when using "Detailed" dates. For manual update instructions, see this post.

Corrected Petz bug whereby all winnings were paid to the bet's owner rather than individual winners. To upgrade from 1.03 or earlier, see this post or overwrite includes/functions.vbookie.php with the 1.0.4 version.

Problems?

-> Petz - If you are using Petz there is a bug in all versions up to and inclusing 1.0.3. Your players won't get paid their winning, and all payouts will end up in the account of the person that posted the Event. To correct this, please see this post. This fix will be incororated into 1.0.4 onwards.

-> If you can't post Events, or can't bet on them make sure you have set your user permissions

-> If you have an SQL error Invalid SQL: UPDATE SET =25 WHERE <25 make sure you are using version 1.0.3 or later.

-> If you have any other general problems, please check the installation/hack instructions and make sure you have carried out all the steps and also check that you made the changes correctly

Anything else, ask in this thread.

Other Stuff

-> If you are using Detailed Date & Time display and have a problem with Event dates appearing as '1 Minute Ago', see this post.

-> If you want to use poster 'Reputation' as the currency for vBookie, see this post.

About Odds

Odds of "5/1" are "amount won per amount placed". This means that I would win 5 for every 1 placed. Of course, if I win, I get my stake back as well. Odds of "1/5" means that I win 1 for every 5 placed. I'd have to place 25 to win just 5.

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds are just another way of displaying the same information. 2.0 is the same as 2/1. 0.2 is the same as 1/5. vBookie only lets you specify odds in terms of x/y, but if you think in terms of decimal you can still work out what odds to provide. Simply think of your decimal odds as "2.0 / 1.0" or "0.5 / 1.0" and then multiply each side through by 10 or 100 until there are only zeros to the right of the decimal point, then just take the whole number part.

2.0 / 1.0 has no decimals, so this is the same as 2/1

0.5 / 1.0 has a 0.5, so multiply both parts by 10 to get 5.0 / 10.0. Then you can specify your odds as 5 / 10. You might also realise that this is the same as 1/2. The technique is a simple way to work out any odds you may need to specify.

Odds of 0.65 -> 0.65 / 1.0 -> 65.0 / 100.0 or 65/100. Then you can divide through by 5 to get to 13 / 20, although this step isn't necessary.


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[Rushty]

Thanks for the quick reply, works fine now

[Alan Ang]

I addressed this previously, saying that there are many store/points hacks already available that offer this sort of thing. I don't really have plans to incorporate it into vBookie but you're not the first to ask, and if I get more requests for the same thing I'll probably do it.
However, there is already a mechanism for players to "get back into the game" - there's a "charity mode" whereby anyone on less than 25 credits gets set to 25 when a new event is added.

personally, i would not want to use any other store hack to add-on to vbookie. cos, i think vbookie is really a great piece of work. and where i am coming from for this suggestion is to enable a forum to entice members to "subscribe". get what i mean? *wink
i think a small extension to vbookie's "charity mode" might do the job.

I like the idea, but it doesn't really fit into the current framework. It'd require some sort of challenge/response mechanism to be built in. That's not particularly difficult, but it's a sizeable addition. Like I say, I do like the idea though, so I'll consider doing it.

glad that you liked it.

Not entirely sure what you mean here by "deduct directly from the top winners.

it allows a player of a lower position to challenge the one higher (much like a ladder system where a player within 2 or 3 positions can challenge the higher positioned player) so that if he wins, points from the higher player are deducted and given to him.

This was actually in my original plan, but I decided not to bother since it's virtual "cash" and there's an unlimited supply as far as settling goes.

yup, but i was hoping that it be fairer to those who wishes to donate more and increase their chances of winning a prize. (e.g a pool cue/accessories/case/tables/etc for my forum members)

Better reporting is certainly something that's relatively simple to add.

cool! sometimes, i really wish i know php too... you made it sound so simple... maybe i should really pick it up.

You can close an event at any point to do this, just by changing the appropriate time. Do you mean a one-click button to do the job?

yup. you hit it right on the head!

I'm not sure what you're getting at here.

oops, this is really quite hard to explain. why did i use only a sentence previous to tell ya... hahaha, i will post a more detailed reply to this later.

None of it is particularly difficult. All I need is the motivation to do it. =) I'll look to release an update with some enhancements in the next week or two.

You are the man!

[tjdrico]

There won't be any updates this weekend, as I'm away on a mate's stag weekend from Friday - Sunday, and if England lose to Switzerland I'll be too depressed anyway. =)

[tjdrico]

Whooo, I broke the half-century. Thanks to everyone that clicked "Install". Rest assured, I'll be working on a better, prettier, more functional, enhanced version, and you will all be notified as soon as it's available.

Arrrrrrrr!

[Dean C]

This looks great! Thanks for sharing with the community

[bluesteel]

Great add-on! My members love it. Thanks.

[tjdrico]

I should be getting a new release available by next weekend which will enable admins/bookies to alter bets and refund bets etc., as well as some other updates and enhancements.

[ethics]

Originally Posted by tjdrico

I should be getting a new release available by next weekend which will enable admins/bookies to alter bets and refund bets etc., as well as some other updates and enhancements.

Excellent hack, best one in a long time, thank you!

[rinkrat]

Yeah, this mod rocks, thanks!

[Tombstone]

I have tried twice now to implement this hack but each time I do it, I get all my pages as showing as blank. I think that means my global.php is messed up. I re-copy my orig (pre-edit files) back up and all works. I thought I read somewhere that this means I have a space missing or added somewhere. Any ideas?