Terms of Use

Rival Picks is a free-to-play prediction game and tipster record-keeping service for UK and Irish horse racing. Users submit predictions on races; those predictions are scored against publicly published race results to build a verifiable, permanent performance record.

Rival Picks is a game. It is not gambling. Rival Picks is not a bookmaker, betting exchange, betting intermediary, pool betting operator, lottery, spread-betting firm, or gambling operator of any kind. It does not hold a UK Gambling Commission operating licence because the service it provides is not licensable gambling under the Gambling Act 2005.

Any real-money betting you choose to do with a licensed bookmaker or exchange is entirely your own decision, at your own risk, and under your own responsibility. Rival Picks does not place, accept, broker, or facilitate any bet, and is not a party to any betting transaction.

Gambling under the Gambling Act 2005 means betting, gaming, or participating in a lottery. Rival Picks is none of these, for the following reasons.

• There is no stake. Participation is free. “Points” and “stakes” shown in the app are scoring units only. They cannot be purchased, sold, transferred, exchanged, withdrawn, redeemed, or converted into money, cryptocurrency, goods, services, or anything else of value. They have no monetary value and no value in money's worth. You cannot lose money by playing.
• There is no prize. Nothing of money or money's worth is won on this platform. Leaderboard positions, rankings, seasons, leagues, and the “Verified” and “Elite” badges are reputational only. They carry no cash value, no goods, no services, no discount, no credit, and no entitlement of any kind. We do not run prize draws, prize competitions, jackpots, or cash-out features.
• It is not betting (s.9). No bet is made or accepted. Users do not stake anything against Rival Picks, against each other, or against a pool. There is no counterparty, no liability, and no settlement of money.
• It is not gaming (s.6). Gaming means playing a game of chance for a prize. There is no prize, so there is no gaming.
• It is not a lottery (ss.14–15). A lottery requires both payment to enter and the allocation of prizes. Neither is present.
• It is not pool betting (s.12). There is no pool, no contributions, and no distribution of winnings.

Leagues. Leagues are free to create and free to join. There is no entry fee, buy-in, subscription requirement, prize pool, or payout of any kind attached to any league or season. We do not permit users to organise real-money side-competitions through the platform, and doing so is a breach of these terms.

The optional Pro subscription is a paid content service. It grants access to view other users' historical pick records and additional statistics. To be explicit:

• Pro is not an entry fee, buy-in, or stake for any competition, league, season, or draw.
• Pro confers no advantage in how your own predictions are scored or ranked. Free and Pro users are scored identically.
• Pro does not create any possibility of winning money or anything of money's worth.
• Every competitive feature of the platform — leaderboards, leagues, seasons, badges — is fully available to free users.

Because payment does not purchase a chance of a prize, the subscription does not convert any part of the service into a lottery or other licensable gambling activity.

Content on Rival Picks is user-generated. Predictions posted by users are their personal opinions, published for entertainment and record-keeping. They are not tips, recommendations, advice, or an inducement to bet, and they are not financial or investment advice.

A user's historical record on this platform describes past performance in a free game only. It does not predict future results and does not indicate that betting on that user's selections would have been, or would be, profitable. Nothing on this platform should be read as a claim that any user can help you win money.

Rival Picks does not receive commission, affiliate revenue, or any other payment from any bookmaker, betting exchange, or gambling operator in respect of users' betting activity. Odds displayed are historical market prices reproduced for scoring purposes only and are not an offer, invitation, or availability of any bet.

You must be 18 years of age or older to use Rival Picks. By creating an account you confirm that you are at least 18 and that it is lawful for you to use this service in your jurisdiction.

We reserve the right to close accounts where we have reasonable grounds to believe the user is under 18, without notice and without refund of any subscription fees paid.

• You are responsible for keeping your credentials secure. Do not share your password.
• One account per person. Creating multiple accounts to manipulate leaderboards is prohibited.
• You must provide accurate information when registering. A false or impersonating username may be removed.
• You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

Picks lock at the official off time of each race. You agree not to:

• Submit or attempt to submit picks after the off
• Use automated tools, bots, or scripts to submit picks
• Exploit bugs or errors in timing to gain an unfair advantage
• Create secondary accounts or collude with others to manipulate rankings

We may void picks, suspend accounts, or remove users from leaderboards if we detect manipulation.

No gambling takes place on Rival Picks. However, we recognise that horse racing prediction sits alongside real-money betting culture, and that some users may bet elsewhere. We take problem gambling seriously and apply gambling-industry safer-play standards voluntarily, even though we are not required to.

We do not offer bonuses, deposit incentives, loss-chasing mechanics, or any feature designed to encourage real-money betting, and we do not market to under-18s.

If gambling — whether real-money or the habit of following tips — is causing you distress, please seek help:

• BeGambleAware.org — free advice and support
• National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133 (free, 24/7)
• GamCare — counselling and support
• Gambling Therapy — international online support

• Pro subscriptions are billed monthly or annually via Stripe, a PCI-DSS-compliant payment processor.
• Subscriptions auto-renew until cancelled. You may cancel at any time from your account settings; you will retain Pro access until the end of the paid period.
• We do not offer refunds except where required by UK consumer law. If you believe you have been charged in error, contact support@rivalpicks.co.uk within 14 days.
• We reserve the right to change subscription pricing with 30 days' notice to existing subscribers.

You must not:

• Use the platform to post offensive, defamatory, or illegal content
• Attempt to access other users' accounts or data
• Probe, scan, or test the security of the platform without written permission
• Scrape the platform or use the service for commercial data collection without permission
• Impersonate Rival Picks staff or another user
• Organise, advertise, or solicit real-money betting, staking, buy-ins, prize pools, or side-bets through the platform, including within league names, descriptions, or usernames
• Offer to buy, sell, or transfer accounts, points, rankings, or badges
• Advertise a paid tipping service, or claim or imply that following any user's picks will produce a profit

Breach of these rules may result in immediate account suspension and, where applicable, referral to law enforcement.

The Rival Picks name, logo, and platform design are our property. Your pick history and tipster stats belong to you; we hold a licence to display them as part of the service.

The platform is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability or the accuracy of race data supplied by third-party sources.

To the maximum extent permitted by UK law, our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of Rival Picks shall not exceed the amount you paid us in subscription fees in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

We may update these terms. We will notify you by email or in-app notice at least 14 days before material changes take effect. Continued use after that date constitutes acceptance.

Questions about these terms: support@rivalpicks.co.uk