Advanced Theory

GambleFi Theory

Designing crypto projects with gambling logic

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|                    GAMBLEFI THEORY                         |
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|                                                           |
|   Crypto's main themes: CULT, CASINO, PONZI               |
|                                                           |
|   Cults can't be copied                                   |
|   Three-Ponzi Theory guides ponzi design                  |
|   So how to design around casino logic?                   |
|                                                           |
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1/ Four Industrial Revolutions of Gambling

Gambling is one of the world's largest and oldest industries by flow:

EraRevolutionary Content
Late 19th CenturyFirst lever slot machine invented, entering industrial era
1960sSlot machine electrification, jackpot accumulation becomes possible
1990sOnline gambling emerges
NowCrypto - Gambling's Fourth Industrial Revolution

2/ Problems with Gambling Industry

GenZ's participation rate in traditional gambling is increasingly low.

Root Cause: Young people refuse to accept rules set by previous generations

  • No say in this
  • Lack equal supervisory power
  • White-label platforms can freeze withdrawals and ban IPs
  • Casinos can change kill rates anytime

3/ Crypto's Solution

Young people's core need remains making money, but they want to control the game themselves.

Only Crypto and smart contracts can achieve:

  • Mandatory settlement
  • Smart contracts can become the gambling tool itself

Gambling is the most reliable known method for crypto projects to generate real revenue


4/ Three Logics of Gambling

All gambling games essentially have only three logics:

Gambling LogicCorresponding Transaction
(In what form) BettingIssuance
(How to) Determine win/lossTrading
(Who) Decides win/lossMarket Making

From Uniswap to NFTs, inscriptions, digital collectibles, Friendtech, Pump, etc. - aside from the ponzi part, purely from trading perspective, they're just permutations and combinations of modifications to these three dimensions.


5/ Case Study: Crash Game & Pump

Almost every major gambling platform has a game called Crash:

Crash Rules:
├── Choose bet amount
├── Choose multiplier to hold bet until cash out
├── Bet is locked
└── System gives a crash point, goes up from 1x until crash

If holding multiplier > crash point → Lose money
If holding multiplier < crash point → Take profit

Mapping Pump to this:

CrashPump
Choose bet amountHow much to put in Pump internal pool (Issuance)
Holding multiplier decided by systemMultiplier decided by Bonding Curve or AMM curve (Trading)
Win/loss decided by crash pointProfit/loss decided by dev or whales (Market Making)

Pump's mechanism is actually the Crash gambling game, just wrapped in a meme coin shell


6/ Monetizing Gambling

Rollbit/Shuffle's essence is still white-label platforms, only competitive point is operations. Core logic is being the house and eating client losses, letting users gamble within their rule framework.

What new GenZ wants is:

  • Define the game themselves
  • Have their own "edge" or alpha

Crypto's asset logic perfectly fulfills this characteristic:

Token/NFT/inscription and various asset logics allow a simple "gamble" to be packaged as "trading," nominally or substantially adding more game choices, while bridging external liquidity to amplify pool size.

This is Pump's revolutionary nature—monetizing gambling, gambling-ifying currency


7/ Distinguish Ponzi from Casino

Ponzi and casinos can overlap. But as a designer, you must clarify your audience.

AudienceCharacteristicsMatching Product
Ponzi players (like dividend schemes)Risk averseDon't give gambling pools
Gambling playersPursue stimulationOpen small gambling pools (shitcoins)

Design Principles:

  1. First clarify whether you're a gambling pool or ponzi
  2. Clarify your operating purpose
  3. Begin with the end in mind

Core Formula

Three Gambling Logic Elements:
├── Betting → Issuance
├── Determine win/loss → Trading
└── Decide win/loss → Market Making

Pump = Crash Game + Meme Coin Packaging

GambleFi Design Principles:
├── Young people want control
├── Smart contracts provide verifiable fairness
├── Assetization turns "gambling" into "trading"
└── Clarify whether audience is gamblers or ponzi players

Next: Sociological Perspective