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WorldWinner has great games but be mindful of your winnings
I love a good deal!, a computer game junkie, cost-conscious, likes getting free stuff, into trying new things
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JUN
25
2008
Seriously, it is. After all, who hasn’t sat down and played a few games only to realize that more time has passed than you intended? That is, of course, doing it the old fashioned way with an actual deck of cards. Nowadays, playing Solitaire on the computer has become the norm. In fact, I’m sure it’s a safe bet that people are even better players as a result of the computer version.
So what if you could play Solitaire online and do it for money? Would that interest you? It totally caught my interest and I took the bait of wanting to try. To make a long story short, because of Solitaire, I somehow ended up signing up to play the game on WorldWinner (actually, it was on a site called SkillJam before it was bought out).
WorldWinner is an online gaming site that allows you to compete with other players for bragging rights and perhaps some winnings in cash and prizes. For those who believe this is gambling, WorldWinner states that it is not. It’s referred to as "skill-based" contests. That means the games are carefully designed to eliminate "luck-of-the-draw" elements in order to provide the player with a fun, fair and legal alternative to chance-based gambling sites. Besides the obvious Solitaire, there are other games such as Chuzzle, Zuma, SwapIt!, Big Money, Bejeweled 2, Diner Dash, and so many more.
Upon registration, you are offered to play the games for free until you feel ready to “ante up the pony”. You can play against yourself by beating your personal score or against other players of equal skill. When you upgrade to a Cash Player, that’s when a whole new world opens up to you. Cash tournament entry fees start from $1.00 all the way to $35.00. The payouts from winning a tournament are indicated to see how much you will receive, minus the entry fee of course. Obviously, the higher you pay to enter a tournament, and depending on the amount of players as well, the higher the payout. The more you win as well, your status level will also increase.
Depositing money to play the games can be done either through credit card or PayPal, both of which can be done in a secure manner. Withdrawing your winnings will happen through one of three options: credit card, PayPal, or check. Game credits are also rewarded as well, but they cannot be withdrawn. On top of the cash winnings, points are also accumulated. These can be used to obtain prizes, such as game credits, gift cards (from Bed Bath & Beyond, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Sephora, and Home Depot to name a few) and even big ticket items, like an Apple 60 GB iPod or even a $500 gift card from American Express.
WorldWinner requires players to download a software onto the computer in order to properly play the games. The required browser is Internet Explorer and can only be used on a PC. Those using a Macintosh computer, WebTV, or Personal Digital Assistants will be disappointed, however.
I’ve won my fair share on WorldWinner but I didn’t realize just how much. Any U.S. resident reaching $600.00 more in Net Winnings (your competition winnings, less entry fees for those competitions which resulted in winnings to you) must declare it as other income to the IRS. I was aware of this but didn’t realize just how much I won in one year. According to the records, I have received almost $5000.00 in total of cash and merchandise winnings. I know, it’s absolutely insane. But take away the entry fees associated with the winnings, my net winnings are only half the amount. Here’s the funny thing: I wish I could say I actually cashed out that amount. I would have been a happy camper to have received that much. Instead, it’s the total amount of what you have won that is taxable. That was an eye-opener come income tax time. As stated on its website:
“We suggest consulting a tax professional to find out if you are eligible to deduct your Additional Entry Fees (fees from competitions that did not result in any winnings to you) or if you are eligible for a refund of some or all of your tax withholdings when filing your annual tax return.”
Overall, my experience on WorldWinner has been a fun one. I’ve managed to win my fair share of games, cash out some money, and even get some gift cards. But after that experience at tax time, I’ve been more cautious in how I play at that site. I may not play for cash prizes as much but I can still play the free games that are available.
I told you Solitaire is an evil game.
***For more details about the site, please visit www.worldwinner.com, at your own risk, of course.
Last edited on Jun 26, 2008
worldwinner.com is recommended by elvisdo
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