Originally Posted by
Dan Druff
There are some accusations that this was manipulated in some way, perhaps just proposed on the day the bet ended, to win people's money on sidebets and then split the proceeds.
There is some belief that there were additional sidebets made with both sides, and that the sidebets were clear that the full 30 days had to pass. Some suspect that by ending it at this point for this (supposed) buyout, the "can't make it 30 days" side wins. If there were substantially more sidebets on "can make it 30 days", they could split the profits after paying off the winning side.
One reason for this belief is because of the odd buyout figure of $62,400, which is not pro-rated to the number of days left, nor is it rounded to the thousand or 500. Some suspect that this was the exact figure needed in order for both to walk away with the same amount of money after the sidebets.
Example (I'm making these numbers up):
Alati had sidebets $37,600 that he will make it all 30 days (he gets paid if he does)
Young had sidebets $87,200 that Alati won't make it all 30 days (he gets paid if Alati doesn't)
Young wins $87,200 in sidebets
Alati loses $37,600 in sidebets
Young gives $62,400 to Alati as a settlement
Young: $87,200 - $62,400 = $24,800 ahead
Alati: $62,400 - $37,600 = $24,800 ahead
ONCE AGAIN, I HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF ANY OF THIS. However, this has been suggested to me by some very skeptical people.
I think the full details of any sidebets should be revealed.