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Fair Play
You play against other people, not against us. This page explains how every result is decided, what we charge, what happens if a match is cut short, and what we do to stop anyone cheating.
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How results are decided
Every game on /play runs on PlayStake's servers, not in your browser. Your device sends what you did (a move, or where you aimed a dart). Our server applies the rules, makes any random draw, and decides the result. Neither player, and no one at PlayStake, can choose or change a result.
- Random draws (the scatter on a dart) come from a cryptographically secure random number generator. Nothing you or your opponent does can predict or influence them.
- Everything is recorded. Each move, each random draw and each result is written to a permanent match record that can't be edited. If you question a result, we check it against that record.
Live stream matches are decided differently: an independent human referee watches both streams, and the result can be disputed before any money moves. See our terms.
Game rules
The full rules are shown on each game's page before you join. In short:
| Game | How you win | Draws |
|---|---|---|
| Tic-Tac-Toe | Three in a row. X (the player who set the stake) moves first. | A full board with no line is a draw. |
| Darts 301 | Start on 301, three rounds of three darts each. Reach exactly zero to win at once; otherwise the lower score after three rounds wins. Going below zero is a bust and the turn’s score is cancelled. | Equal scores after three rounds are a draw. |
In darts you choose where to aim and how long to steady the throw. Steadier throws, aimed nearer the centre, scatter less, but every dart lands with some random scatter, so skill improves your chances without guaranteeing a score.
Fees and payouts
Both players stake the same amount. Where a game carries a fee, PlayStake takes a percentage of the pot when the match settles. The fee, what a win pays and what a draw returns are shown on the stake screen and on every invite before you commit.
- A win pays the whole pot less the fee.
- A draw splits the pot less the fee equally between the two players.
- A match that is voided returns both stakes in full, with no fee.
Interrupted and abandoned matches
The state of every match is saved on our servers after each move. If your connection drops or you close the tab, open the match again from the same link, or from your bets, and carry on from where you left off.
| What happened | What we do |
|---|---|
| Nobody started the match within 10 minutes of it being agreed | The match is void. Both stakes are returned in full. |
| The match started, then no move was made for 10 minutes | The player whose move it was is treated as having left and forfeits. The other player wins. This stops anyone walking away from a losing position to get their stake back. |
| The match finished but was not settled (for example, a tab closed on the last move) | We settle it on the recorded result. |
| Something went wrong on our side (an outage or a fault) | We review the match record. If it cannot fairly be completed, we void it and return both stakes in full. If a fault led to a wrong payment, we correct it. |
If you think a forfeit was caused by a problem on our side rather than by you leaving, contact us through the complaints procedure and we will look at the match record.
Cheating, collusion and bots
It is against our terms to:
- agree results, or lose on purpose, with another player;
- play against yourself, or with anyone sharing your account, device or payment details;
- use bots, scripts or any software that plays or aims for you;
- exploit a bug or fault rather than report it;
- interfere with another player's connection, or with our service.
We look for patterns that suggest cheating: the same players repeatedly matched against each other, one-sided results between the same pair, win rates that don't fit the game, unusually fast matches, sudden changes in volume, and accounts linked by identity or payment details. Our staff review anything flagged.
What happens to money won unfairly
If we find that a player cheated, colluded or used a bot, we will:
- suspend the accounts involved while we investigate;
- void the affected matches and withhold any winnings from them;
- return stakes to players who lost to the cheating, where we can identify them, and tell them what happened;
- close the accounts involved, and report the matter to the Gambling Commission and, where appropriate, the police.
Your stakes are protected
Report something
If you think an opponent cheated, or you have found a problem with a game, email support@playstake.org with the match link, or use the complaints procedure. Reports are confidential.