How ZimStake works
Sports pools and prediction markets are pari-mutuel: players bet against each other and the losing stakes pay the winners. Crash and casino games are played against the house at fixed rules.
Sports pools
Every match has several independent pools, one per bet type. Pick an outcome in any of them and your stake joins everyone else's on that outcome. The pools close at kick-off, and once the result is confirmed the winners split the losing stakes.
The number shown on each outcome is what it pays right now. It moves as money comes in: popular outcomes pay less, outcomes few people backed pay more.
Soccer: five pools per match
- Match result
- Home win, draw or away win.
- Score at half time
- The exact score at the half-time whistle.
- Score at full time
- The exact final score.
- Both teams to score
- Yes or no.
- Total goals
- The combined number of goals.
Other sports: two pools per match
- Cricket
- Match winner, total runs
- Tennis
- Match winner, total games
- Basketball
- Match winner, total points
- Volleyball
- Match winner, set score
- Rugby
- Match winner, total points
- Netball
- Match winner, total points
The payout formula
A service fee comes out of the losing stakes first. What is left is shared among the winners in proportion to their stakes, and each winner also gets their own stake back.
Losing stakes = Total pool − Winning pool
Your payout = Your stake + (Your stake ÷ Winning pool) × Losing stakes
Worked example, before fees
A match result pool for Team A against Team B holds:
- Home win
- $300
- Draw
- $150
- Away win
- $250
Home win comes in. The losing stakes are $150 + $250 = $400. You staked $50 on home win, which is a sixth of the $300 winning pool, so your share is $400 ÷ 6 = $66.67.
Your payout = $50 + $66.67 = $116.67
Prediction markets
A market asks a question about sport, crypto or what Zimbabwe is talking about, and lists the possible answers. You back an answer, and your stake joins the vol on it.
The chance shown on each answer is its share of the market's total vol, so the chances always add up to 100%. They move until the market closes. Your payout is fixed only when the market settles.
When the result is known, the winners share the vol staked on the answers that lost, after the house fee. If nobody backed the winning answer, the market is voided and every stake is refunded. Markets run in USD.
Crash and casino
In a crash game you stake before the round starts, and a multiplier climbs from 1.00×. Cash out at any point to win your stake times the multiplier. If the round crashes before you cash out, the stake is lost. That goes for every crash game, from Chibhora to Chicken Dash.
The casino tables follow posted rules: European single-zero roulette, blackjack paying 3 to 2 with the dealer standing on all 17s, punto banco baccarat, Jacks or Better video poker, craps, and the Fruit Market slot.
Both are played against the house, from the same balance as your pools.
Points and the leaderboard
Every game adds to one points total that ranks you against every other player. A winning sports bet adds points equal to its payout, rounded, with a minimum of 1. A correct prediction market call adds 2 to 10, more for longer odds. A day in crash or casino that finishes ahead adds a point for each whole dollar ahead, the next morning. Round predictor slips add points as below.
Round predictor points
In a round you pick which teams survive a tournament stage. A perfect slip earns the round's full points, and a partial slip earns the same share of them, rounded down.
- 2 teams
- 2
- 4 teams
- 4
- 8 teams
- 6
- 16 teams
- 8
- 32 teams
- 10
25 correct out of 32 picks in a 32-team round earns 25 ÷ 32 × 10 = 7.81, so 7 points. Slips entered after a round closes are voided.
When players are level
Ties are settled by working down this list until the players separate.
- 1
Most points
Points from sports, rounds, prediction markets, crash and casino, added together.
- 2
Most wins
Level on points? More wins ranks higher, counting every game you play.
- 3
Fewest losses
Still level? The player with fewer losses ranks higher. Refunds count as neither.
- 4
Oldest account
If everything above is equal, the account created first is listed first.
The leaderboard shows the top 100 players who have earned points in any game.
Common questions
What is pari-mutuel betting?
All stakes on a pool go into one pot. There are no fixed odds and no bookmaker taking the other side. After a service fee, the stakes on the losing outcomes are shared among the winners in proportion to what each winner staked.
How much can I bet on a sports pool?
The minimum is $1. The maximum depends on your plan: $10 on Free, $50 on Bronze, $200 on Silver and $500 on Gold.
When do I get paid?
Payouts run automatically once the result is confirmed. Winnings land in your ZimStake balance, and you can withdraw them to mobile money.
What happens if a match is cancelled?
If a match is abandoned or cancelled, every bet on it is refunded in full to your balance.
Can I bet on a match that has already started?
No. Sports pools close at kick-off, and bets placed after that are not accepted.
What if nobody backed the winning answer in a market?
The market is voided and every stake is refunded. If everyone backed the winning answer, each stake is returned in full and ZimStake takes nothing.
Are crash and casino games pools too?
No. Crash and casino games are played against the house at fixed rules. Only sports pools and prediction markets are shared between players.
Get the app
Android phones can install it directly. On iPhone, use the web app for now.