Frequently Asked Questions
Questions, answered.
If you don't find what you're looking for here, drop us a line on the support page.
The basics
What is a prediction round?
A round is a 15-minute window during a football match. For each round we ask one question: "Will a goal be scored between minute X and minute Y?" You stake YES or NO. When the round closes, the winning side splits the entire pool minus a 3% fee.
How many rounds are in a match?
Six per match: three in the first half (1–15, 16–30, 31–45+stoppage), three in the second (46–60, 61–75, 76–90+stoppage). Extra time isn't covered in v1; if a match goes to extra time, regulation rounds still resolve normally.
When can I bet on a round?
Round 1 opens 15 minutes before kickoff and locks at kickoff. Every later round opens the moment the previous one locks and runs to the start of its in-match window. Once a round locks, no new bets are accepted.
Is there a minimum or maximum bet?
The operator sets min and max via the admin console (currently $1 minimum, no maximum on testnet). You can see the current limits on any open round's bet input.
Payouts and odds
How are payouts calculated?
Each round has a YES pool and a NO pool. When the round resolves, the contract takes 3% as a fee, then pays out the remaining pool to the winning side, proportional to each winner's share of that side. Example: YES pool $40, NO pool $60, YES wins → total pool $100 × 0.97 = $97. If you put $10 on YES, you get $97 × (10/40) = $24.25.
When do I get paid?
As soon as the round resolves on-chain, your winnings are sitting in the escrow contract waiting for you. You claim them from your profile page by signing one transaction per round. Claiming is free apart from gas (a few cents on Polygon).
Why is my payout the same as my stake on some rounds?
When one side of a round has zero bets, the round's "degenerate refund" rule kicks in: everyone gets their stake back instead of the contract paying out a non-existent winning side. This usually happens on early rounds before liquidity builds up.
Edge cases
What happens if a match is postponed or cancelled?
Rounds on a postponed match are paused until the match either restarts (rounds resume from where they stopped) or is officially cancelled. Cancelled rounds refund every bet at original stake — no fees, no winners, no losers.
What if a goal is scored but later disallowed by VAR?
We follow the official final score reported by the football data provider once a half ends. If a goal is awarded then disallowed by VAR within that half's normal time, the disallowed goal doesn't count. A round that locked while the goal was still officially awarded would not be re-opened — it stays resolved on the original outcome.
A goal was scored exactly at minute 45 — does it count for the first half or the second half?
Goals at the half/full-time boundary count for the half they were officially scored in, per the data provider. The minute 45 round covers 31'–45+stoppage, so a goal in the 45th minute (including stoppage) resolves it as YES. The minute 46 round covers 46' onward.
On-chain & safety
Is my money safe?
Your USDC sits in a non-custodial escrow contract from the moment you bet until you claim. We don't hold it, can't move it, and can't freeze it. You can verify the contract addresses from the footer of any page. Mainnet launch will be gated on a third-party security audit.
Why USDC instead of POL or ETH?
USDC is a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. That means the value of your $50 bet doesn't swing 10% because of overnight crypto volatility. It also lets us display real dollar amounts everywhere, which is easier to reason about than fractional crypto.
Which chain does Prevermarket run on?
Polygon. Transactions confirm in 2-3 seconds and cost cents — fast and cheap enough for live, in-play betting. The current deployment address is shown in the footer of every page, linked to the block explorer.
Do I need to verify my identity?
No KYC required to bet. You connect a wallet, you bet, you claim. We may add jurisdiction-based geo-blocking before mainnet launch as a legal precaution, but document-based identity verification is not part of the product.