Wikipedia
WorldWinner (www.worldwinner.com) pioneered online skilled games for cash and prizes. Founded in 1999 in Newton, Massachusetts by Alex Bloom (formerly Saidakovsky), Alex Ganelis, and Daniil Utin it raised over $17 million from leading venture capital firms including HarbourVest Partners and Benchmark Capital among others.
WorldWinner launched on August 17, 2000 to become the first online gaming destination that allowed participants to compete in skilled tournaments against people across the world for real money winnings. Initially the game titles included Solitaire Rush, Maze Runner, Jigsaw Genius, Crossword Challenge, and Pencil Wars.
Unlike gambling games that from a legal standpoint feature the elements of chance, prize, and consideration, WorldWinner games are skilled and player’s skill (as opposed to chance or luck) is the predominant factor in player’s performance and winnings.
The games that in their original form had an excessive chance element (e.g. solitaire) were modified to minimize the effects of chance using the patented technology invented by the founders.
Through its partnerships with leading casual games sites such as Yahoo, EA, Pogo, iWon, PAX TV, WildTangent, Shockwave and others, WorldWinner quickly became the most trusted destination for skilled-based tournaments, hosting over 2 million tournaments per month with over $100,000 daily in cash winnings by 2002.
Having achieved a revenue increase of 2,386 percent from 2000 to 2004, WorldWinner earned the number six spot on the Technology Fast 50 for New England.
By 2004 WorldWinner had over 14 million registered players worldwide while hosting more than four million tournaments and awarding millions of dollars in prizes every month. In March 2005, WorldWinner was acquired by FUN Technologies and merged with SkillJam into WorldWinner, dropping the SkillJam brand.
In December 2007, Liberty Media acquired FUN Technologies in a transaction valuing the company at $484 million. As a result of the acquisition, WorldWinner is integrated with the Liberty-owned Game Show Network, and FUN Technologies was discontinued as a brand.