TaxiBeat: The Greek Startup that attracted Gamblers!

Betting on a taxi ride? Gamblers in Greece had set up an illegal gambling operation where they could bet their money on the fastest taxi driver or on the most likely route drivers would take! According to Greek news, young University students were arrested a couple of days ago when a taxi driver and member of TaxiBeat notified police of the students’ Facebook group/page, where all the gambling action was taking place. Students were making use of the TaxiBeat service, a very promising startup project made by Greek entrepreneurs!

I had never heard of TaxiBeat and unfortunately I came across this startup due to the disturbing story. TaxiBeat turns out to be a fascinating startup. Using the TaxiBeat application on your smartphone, you can find all the taxis close to you using the GPS technology. Before choosing a specific taxi to pick you up, you can check out their car’s model, whether they allow pets or not, if their car is equipped with air-condition, what languages the driver speaks and even if you can charge your phone on route! Just like movie rating websites, there are reviews of each driver left by previous commuters along with a star ranking system. You can find more about TaxiBeat startup in the co-founder’s interview, but I strongly suggest reading this story of other startups by Greek entrepreneurs in the middle of an economic disaster! Truly inspirational!

Back to the gambling story, when police entered the students’ apartment, they found plenty of mobile phones and smartphones, a computer, a plasma TV and an “unbelievably huge number” of fast food’s delivery boxes! We all know that food isn’t the top priority of an addictive gambler!

The students were betting big money on the taxi drivers’ times and routes on betting odds that were provided by a University teacher! I wonder if those odds offered some… value!

Edit: It turns out the source is a satyric news page. Well, I’ve been wrong before!