Bellybets.com is the bun-in-the-oven project that was launched this past spring by London entrepreneur Peter Scott.
“It’s a new take on the classic ‘I’m having a baby, let’s guess what I’m having’ that lots of people do at work,” explained Scott, President of Traxion Consulting. “Normally you would do a baby pool with a piece of paper and pencil.” Bettors compete against each other to predict baby’s due date, gender and weight. Bellybets will do the rest and award bragging rights to the winner.
The website was built with ease-of-use in mind. Users can create free baby pools within minutes. The site features integration with email and Facebook, allowing users to instantly invite their friends, family and co-workers to join in on the fun.
“Everyone can participate,” said Scott. “If you have an uncle overseas or a friend in the United States, they can play too.”
Bellybets.com starts to go viral
Since launching in February, the website has seen substantial growth that has surprised the team working on the project.
“We’re very excited about the viral growth we’re seeing through social media,” said Scott.
In just a few short months since Bellybets.com was launched, the site has gained thousands of users from 30 countries. The metrics continue to trend upwards.
“Almost everyone is on our site for over four minutes,” Scott commented looking at the website’s overall metrics. “It’s sticky; people are spending time on it.”
Betting on the Royal baby
The team working on Bellybets.com are not immune to baby fever and have started their own pool to guess the birth details of Prince William and Duchess Catherine’s first baby.
Users can join in and celebrate the Royal birth here. Enter your guess for the Royal baby’s birth date and gender, read a bio on the mother-and-father-to-be, leave a message for the family, and list your pick for the baby’s name.
Bellybets.com grows up
“We want to be the world’s number one baby betting site,” Scott said when asked what he saw for the future of the website. “People have long held baby betting pools at baby showers and in offices but there hasn’t really been a way to let family and friends actively share in the excitement – until now.”
“It’s not like Facebook or MySpace; it’s more of a niche idea. But I’m sure of one thing – lots more babies are on their way and it would be great to come full circle where I get an invite to join someone’s pool,” Scott laughed. “Kind of like being Mark Zuckerburg and having someone invite you to be their friend on Facebook.”
