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Everything you need to know about creating bets, managing crews, and getting the most out of SideBet.

Getting Started

What is SideBet?

SideBet is a free, peer-to-peer social betting platform. You and your friends create bets on anything โ€” sports, reality TV, eating contests, office pools โ€” and settle them with a leaderboard that tracks who's winning and losing over time.

SideBet does not process any payments. There is no house edge. It's accountability software for bets you already make with your friends.

Creating an Account

  1. Go to sidebet.chat
  2. Click Sign In
  3. Choose your method: Google sign-in or magic link via email
  4. You're in
Magic link sign-in sends a one-time link to your email โ€” no password needed. Google OAuth is also available for one-tap sign-in.

Your Profile

After signing in, your profile shows:

  • Your bet history (wins, losses, pending)
  • Your record against specific friends (rivalry tracking)
  • Achievements you've earned
  • Your crews and their leaderboards

Creating & Sharing Bets

How to Create a Bet

  1. Click New Bet from your dashboard
  2. Fill in: What's the bet?, Who's involved?, and the Stakes
  3. Click Create Bet
  4. A shareable link is generated โ€” paste it anywhere

Sharing a Bet

After creating a bet, you get a link you can paste into iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, or any group chat. The person you send it to clicks the link, signs in, and accepts (or declines) the bet.

Accepting a Bet

  1. Open the link your friend sent
  2. Sign in if you're not already (Google or magic link)
  3. Review the bet terms
  4. Click Accept to lock it in, or Decline to pass

Settling a Bet

  1. Once the outcome is known, either party goes to the bet
  2. Click Submit Result
  3. Both parties confirm the result
  4. The bet closes, the record updates, and the leaderboard reflects new standings
If both parties disagree on the outcome, the bet stays in Disputed status. Reach out to support@sidebet.chat and we'll help resolve it.

Crews & Leaderboards

What is a Crew?

A crew is a group of people who bet together. Think of it as your office league, friend group, or fantasy sports side channel.

Creating a Crew

  1. Go to Crews in the nav
  2. Click New Crew
  3. Name it and invite members via link or username
  4. The crew leaderboard starts tracking automatically once members have bets together

Crew Leaderboard

The leaderboard shows:

  • Win/loss record for each member
  • P&L (net wins vs. losses by number of bets, not money)
  • Rivalries โ€” head-to-head records between members

Achievements

Achievements unlock automatically based on your activity: first bet created, first bet won, win streaks, and rivalry milestones.

Notifications & Email

When You'll Get Notified

SideBet sends email notifications when:

  • Someone accepts your bet
  • A bet result is submitted
  • A bet is disputed
  • You earn an achievement

Managing Notifications

Notification preferences can be managed from your Profile โ†’ Settings.

If you're not receiving emails:

  1. Check your spam/junk folder
  2. Add noreply@sidebet.chat to your contacts
  3. Confirm your email address is correct under Profile

FAQ

Is SideBet legal?
SideBet does not process money. It's a social accountability tool for bets between friends. No payments are made through the platform. Always follow the laws in your region regarding informal social bets.
Does it cost anything?
SideBet is free. There is no paid tier at this time.
Do I need an account to accept a bet?
Yes. The person accepting the bet needs to sign in (via Google or magic link) so results are tied to a real account. Anonymous acceptance is not supported.
Can I make a bet with more than one person?
Yes. When creating a bet you can add multiple participants. Use a crew leaderboard to track group bets over time.
Can I delete a bet?
Accepted bets cannot be deleted โ€” they're your receipts. If a bet was created by mistake and hasn't been accepted yet, you can cancel it from the bet detail page.
What languages does SideBet support?
English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, German, and Arabic. Change your language under Profile โ†’ Settings.
What sign-in methods are available?
Google OAuth for one-tap sign-in, or magic link โ€” we send a one-time link to your email, no password needed. More providers may be added based on demand.
What happens if both sides disagree on the outcome?
The bet enters Disputed status. Contact us at support@sidebet.chat and include the bet link. We'll review and resolve it manually.
Are my old bets saved?
Yes. Bet history is permanent. You always have receipts.
Is there a referral program?
There's no formal referral program right now. If that's something you'd want, let us know โ€” feature requests help us prioritize.

Troubleshooting

Can't Sign In

Sign-in fails, redirect loops, or 'authentication error' message.

  1. Clear your browser cookies and cache
  2. Try an incognito/private window
  3. If using Google: make sure you're using a valid Google account
  4. If using magic link: check your spam/junk folder for the sign-in email
  5. Try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)
  6. Disable browser extensions that block third-party cookies

If none of these work, email us with the error message, your browser and OS, and whether it fails on mobile vs. desktop.

Bet Link Not Working

You click a bet link and get a 404 or blank page.

  1. Make sure you're signed in first, then open the link again
  2. Check that the link wasn't truncated when pasted (some apps wrap long URLs)
  3. Try copying the full link into your browser address bar directly
  4. Ask the bet creator to re-share the link

Real-Time Updates Not Showing

You accepted a bet or submitted a result, but the other person's screen isn't updating.

  1. Refresh the page โ€” updates will always show correctly on reload
  2. Check your internet connection
  3. If you're on a corporate or school network, WebSockets may be blocked โ€” try on mobile data

If you consistently see stale data without refreshing, email us and let us know your network type.

Leaderboard Not Updating

You settled a bet but the crew leaderboard still shows old standings.

  1. Hard-refresh the leaderboard page (Ctrl+Shift+R / Cmd+Shift+R)
  2. Wait 60 seconds โ€” recalculations can take a moment after a bet settles
  3. Confirm both parties agreed on the result (a disputed bet won't update standings)

If standings are still wrong after 5 minutes, contact support with the bet link.

Not Receiving Email Notifications

You're not getting bet alerts or confirmation emails.

  1. Check your spam/junk folder and mark SideBet emails as 'Not Spam'
  2. Add the sender address to your contacts
  3. Confirm under Profile โ†’ Settings that notifications are enabled
  4. Confirm the email on your account is the one you check

If emails are still not arriving after 24 hours, contact support with your account email address.

Sports Lines Not Loading

The live lines section shows an error or no data.

  1. Refresh the page
  2. Wait a few minutes and try again โ€” API outages are typically brief
  3. Use an external source (ESPN, Google) to confirm the line manually

Something else is broken?

Email us at support@sidebet.chat with: what you were trying to do, what happened instead, your device and browser, and the time it happened. The more detail you give, the faster we can fix it.

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