Nothing here is money

What the play money is

• Every paper book opens with one million units of play money. The number is a score, like points in a league table. It has no cash value and never will.
• You cannot buy play money, top it up, cash it out, transfer it to another person or exchange it for anything inside or outside the app. Play money is never sold, never given in exchange for a tip and never exchangeable. Tips on Ko-fi are a thank-you and unlock nothing: they never add to a bankroll and never change a result.
• There are no prizes, no leaderboard rewards and no promotions tied to a bankroll. The only thing you can win is a better record.
• If you run out, you can reset to a million at any time from the book's record tab. Settled bets stay in your record so the reset is honest.

Why this is not gambling

Gambling law, in the countries we know of, turns on something of value being staked or won. Nothing of value enters or leaves Bird's Eye: no entry fee, no deposit, no prize, no purchase of play money, and no way to convert it. The book and the tables are a record of judgement, played for a number. We do not offer, arrange, advertise or take a share of any real wager, and we are not licensed to. If you and your friends agree anything real between yourselves, that is your private arrangement under the law where you live; it happens outside the app, and you must never involve anyone under eighteen.

Who may use the book and the tables

• The leagues, picks, drafts, records and home games are for everyone.
• You must be 13 or over to use Bird's Eye at all.
• The paper book and the tables are for adults. Opening a book requires a declaration that you are eighteen or over. If you are under eighteen, the leagues are yours; the book and the tables are not. A parent who finds one open can delete it from the profile page.
• The Bird's banter is written to be cheeky, never cruel. If a line lands badly, tell us through the support page and it goes.

How the tables are fair

Every card, dice roll and race is computed from a seed the house commits to in advance (by publishing its hash), your own seed, and a round number. Nothing is drawn mid-round and nothing can be nudged. When the seed is rotated, the old one is revealed and any round can be recomputed on the fairness page, in your browser, with the code shown. Prices in the paper book come from public sports data feeds and are shown as they arrive; they are a record, not advice, and the implied percentages include the bookmaker's margin.

Looking after yourself

• Even play money can pull at the same habits as the real thing. If you notice yourself chasing a number, step away: the Bird will still be there tomorrow and will pretend not to have missed you.
• Close the book at any time from its record tab. The tables stop with it. Your picks, leagues and record are untouched. If you want a break, close it and leave it closed for a day or a month; nothing is lost.
• Delete everything about you from the profile page: bankroll, wagers, table history and all.
• If real gambling is a problem for you or someone close to you, free confidential help exists in most countries: GamCare in the UK (0808 8020 133), the National Council on Problem Gambling in the US (1-800-GAMBLER), Joueurs Info Service in France (09 74 75 13 13). Elsewhere, search for your national gambling helpline; every EU country has a free one. None of them are affiliated with us; all of them are good.

The Bird

The Bird is the house character: dealer, stickman, bookmaker's voice, hold'em opponent and rival in any league that invites it. It plays a fixed, readable policy and never sees a card before you do. It talks, and it keeps count of every time you give it the bird. That count is the closest thing to a prize on this site.