Despite having played the game for many hours already, courtesy of our Japanese import copy, we could not resist the opportunity to experience GT3 this way. There were many people waiting in line who were more than willing to have a flutter on themselves and each other. SPOnG threw away $5 by coming second on the Detroit course in a Chevy Corvette, but hey! The old phrase 'it's not the winning, etc...' was never truer. A fantastic experience, even if the gambling part was less than legal, considering the state we were in.
Talking of legalities, the Dodge Viper could not be played in GT3, because of an apparent failure to secure the license for the US release. It was in the game alright, but if anyone tried to select the car, a Sony official would step up and prevent them from doing so.