Aren't there potential problems with this midnight deadline? I mean, it's not like both servers are in-line with an atomic clock. Also we've seen the odd match start time now and again.

From what I've seen (with my experience in the first vote contest), they tend to be synced very closely. I mean, if you have a 5 second window (high estimate) to make a prediction after the start of the match, you're going to have to be very quick and you'd be working off not much information.

A match starting early would be a bigger problem, but I don't think that's happened since 2003... am I forgetting something?
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I made a living on time trial blowing myself off to cross the finish line at ludicrous speed. -transience