The captain maybe, but if someone actually made the ball go through the hole the game was stopped and that person was given all the wagered loot, and was also able to take things from the audience or whoever he wanted too.

Thing is, it was really difficult to make the shot. So a very rare occurrence.

Also the audience got really into betting, some of them lost it all, and some even gambled themselves into slavery.

Fun game!

The more I hear about these games, the less fun they sound. I think it was just the person who literally puts it through the hoop that gets the riches, though, not the captain?

I have a hazy memory of some Mayan leader called Bird Jaguar The Great actually putting their political opponents inside a ball and kicking it down the steps, but that sounds like a fever dream.