Forever Not: The App That Lets You Bet On Love
Social media and gambling go hand-in-hand. Some people go to a casino to hit the tables and slots. Others spend their nights aimlessly stalking friend and celebrity profiles on Facebook and Twitter. Now there’s a way to combine the two, all in one easy to use app.
Forever Not is a game that allows users to anonymously rate friends’ and celebrity relationships and wager on whether they will make it or break it. The Forever Not interface is similar to that of the popular dating app Tinder. The app uses Facebook to present a mix of friend and celebrity couples, and allows users to swipe right for “Not” to vote that the couple will break-up within 30 days, or left for “Forever” to vote that they’ll stay together.
Forever Not then allows users to go back and view photos of couples they’ve previously voted on and track their Forever Not scores. Users can cash out on their bets every 30 days depending on how their votes fared. In concept it’s all fun and games—complete with virtual betting—but in reality the app has proved a bit creepy. Unlike dating apps where both parties sign up and agree to share their information, Forever Not uses Facebook to allow users to rank all of their friends’ relationships, without their consent or knowledge.
As a relatively new app, most couples (and singles alike) still don’t know Forever Not exists. Whether or not the app takes off as the next big thing remains to be seen, but in the meantime it may be in the best interest of most couples to remain oblivious to the idea of their friends betting on the success of their relationship.
Betting on celebrity relationships is one thing. Hollywood is full of break-up stories and it seems relatively harmless to bet a few shekels when the odds are in your favor more often than not. But when it comes to betting on the success or failure of the compatibility of your friends and loved ones, is there a moral line being crossed? Sometimes the process is a bit of a guessing game, as many Facebook users are listed as being in a relationship but don’t disclose the name of their partner. In such cases, you’re left voting on the romantic longevity of a friend and an anonymous question mark.
Forever Not is available for free download in the iTunes store and will soon be available on Android, Kik Messenger, and Facebook Apps.
