bahn.bet (Satire Website about DB delays)

[bspahh]

https://bahn.bet/ lets you place bets on the delays for Deutsche Bahn trains. https://bahn.bet/about says:

The first rule of Fight Club...​

Is that you should talk about it. All the trains, delays, and data on this app are real.But the money isn't – because for that I'd need to move to Malta. Or Cyprus. Or Schleswig-Holstein.
But please pretend the money is real. This entire thing is a social experiment. Share your bets, invite your friends, bet on your situationship getting stranded for two hours in Würzburg. Let's pretend that this platform is a real thing, and maybe Deutsche Bahn will actually do something about it.
(Hopefully)

A statement from DBSM Corporate​

In January 2026, Germany's federal court ruled that purchasing a Deutsche Bahn ticket constitutes a form of gambling (Glücksspiel), citing that “the probability of arriving on time is statistically comparable to a coin flip.”
Rather than contest the ruling, DBSM embraced it. If riding our trains is gambling, then passengers deserve the right to hedge.
BahnBet is our answer: a platform where you can bet against your own train, turning delays into suffering, and suffering into profit. Every minute of punctuality you lose, you can win back in deliciously valuable caßh.
The DBSM Board of Directors. Pain with every delay™

How it works​

1. Pick a train
   Browse live and upcoming long-distance trains. ICE, IC, EC — the full DBSM fleet.
2. Predict the delay
   Use the slider (0–90 min) to predict the arrival delay. Trust your instincts. Or your trauma.
3. Stake credits
   Choose how much caßh to wager. Everyone starts with €1,000 of completely fictional caßh.
4. Wait for arrival
   When the train arrives — if it arrives — payouts are calculated based on how close you were.

Payout model​

Payouts use a proximity scoring model (Gaussian, sigma = 15 min). The pool retains a 5% house rake. Your payout is proportional to your stake multiplied by how close your prediction was to the actual delay, relative to all other bettors.

Data source​

All train data comes from Deutsche Bahn's official GTFS and GTFS-RT feeds. Timetables are refreshed daily and live delay data is updated every 2 minutes. We don't make up the delays. DBSM does that for us.

Jurisdiction notice​

For legal reasons, all BahnBet users, their devices, and their emotional baggage are hereby classified as legal residents of Schleswig-Holstein, the only German state where gambling is fully permitted.
This is non-negotiable. By creating an account, you have moved to Schleswig-Holstein. Your new postal code is 24103. You now speak rudimentary Danish.
We are not accepting appeals at this time.

It ends with

This platform is a work of satire protected under Kunstfreiheit (artistic freedom). DBSM is a fictional entity. Any resemblance to a real train company that also can't stick to a schedule is entirely intentional but legally coincidental.

 

[StephenHunter]

Oh, those Germans...

 

[321362]

Absolutely loving it so far!

The image shows a screenshot from BahnBet with text: "You won €141 on ICE 11! You predicted 76 min - Actual: 72min

 

[peterblue]

It seems the main flaw with this is it only allows for delays up to 90 minutes

 

[popeter45]

does seem rather easy to cheese
sort by actual arrival, place bets just as they are about to arrive and grab an easy win

 

[Amalie]

It seems the main flaw with this is it only allows for delays up to 90 minutes

I’ve indeed been delayed more than enough times by over 2 hours by the Deutsche Bahn, and I’m sure I’m not alone here.

 

[gazthomas]

Inspired, just needs real cash now

 

[37201xoIM]

I find this really confusing to use! The train numbers don't seem to correspond to the DB ones, and the times are odd - I have a horrid feeling it might be changing the times displayed to match my phone's local time zone, so adding / taking off an hour.... And thanks to the gift of touchscreens it's just bet on my behalf €100 that a train currently 54 minutes late will arrive at its destination 2 minutes late...

 

[peterblue]

I’ve indeed been delayed more than enough times by over 2 hours by the Deutsche Bahn, and I’m sure I’m not alone here.

You're not!

 

[hexagon789]

I find this really confusing to use! The train numbers don't seem to correspond to the DB ones, and the times are odd - I have a horrid feeling it might be changing the times displayed to match my phone's local time zone, so adding / taking off an hour.... And thanks to the gift of touchscreens it's just bet on my behalf €100 that a train currently 54 minutes late will arrive at its destination 2 minutes late...

They've just added an option to type the exact predicted delay in instead of pinching it touchscreen style.

Makes it a lot easier, believe me!

 

[Hbbz9392]

Thank you for making me aware of this funny website! I hope one day an IETT version of this is made.