This week, I received a beta invitation for MOOLA.com. You start with a free penny, and if you can double it 30 times by playing simple, two-player games, you will win over $10 million. Nearly 700K has been won to date. You are automatically matched against players competing at the same level, and although the games you can select now are limited (a ro sham bo game and a gold rush bidding game — they will be adding more over time), the play is quick, and marginally exciting. You can cash out anytime for real money, as you can on Deal or No Deal or Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Moola is free to play, ad supported entertainment, and is another promising baby step in the sphere of Internet-enabled gameshow democratization.

I believe there’s a big opportunity here to create an immersive , interactive gaming experience like Everquest, but compress the experience from a 50 hour/week time commitment to an easily accessible quick and episodic gaming experience that appeals to the casual gamer, and offers the potential to win real money. Personal WMJ trivia: In second grade, I wanted to be a gameshow host, and I designed a gameshow concept, a card game, which featured an elaborate set with a glass elevator to access various levels.