At both WorldGaming.com and BringIt.com, two of the larger challenge sites, the average bet hovers in the $10 range. Players — sometimes friends and sometimes strangers, put together via the site’s matching service — register for free, then head to a lobby to find an opponent, agree on the wager amount (technically called an “entry fee” by both sites) and the game. Then, both fire up their consoles to play.

Money is deposited into accounts on either site via PayPal or credit card. Once a challenge is accepted, their wager amount (plus a 10 percent commission) is withdrawn and put into a separate escrow account until a winner is determined, often by a monitoring system that varies slightly from company to company.

Winners who decide to cash out can have checks mailed to them or have the money transferred to a PayPal account.

Both WorldGaming and BringIt support competitions over Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 (or PlayStation 2)and the Nintendo Wi ]. Most popular titles with multiplayer components are supported, including Microsoft's “Halo 3,” Activision’s “Call of Duty 4” and Electronic Arts’ “Madden NFL Football”.

“What we offer is the opportunity, every day, to monetize your skills from your home,” says Billy Levy, president of WorldGaming.