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Everyone –
I am helping someone with an app they are developing – the premise of which is to create an app that will allow groups to play tipping competitions against each other with the placing of selections, scoring and league table, etc, done via the app.
The app is called ‘Friendly Bet’ and I had a go last Saturday and thought it was pretty good. It is in its development phase and Craig (who is developing it) is keen to have some dry runs with some experienced competition and betting people and, having seen our site and the type of competitions we run, thought we’d be ideal candidates to try it out and, more importantly, give him feedback on any glitches and also what we feel is good/bad about the app.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO –
You need to access the app – this can be done on a mobile or laptop (Craig says mobile is better playing experience and I downloaded onto my mobile and seemed OK but whatever is ok)
Here’s the link:
https://friendlybet.app/r/trf?s=trf&m=social&c=compQuick steps:
1. Sign up using the link
2. You’ll be guided through the onboarding process to create an account via a few email steps.TOMORROW NIGHT – I’ll post a code on this thread which will let you join the TRF Test Group and will post details of how to make selections and how the scoring works. If you want you can indicate in this thread that you have joined or are interested but we’ll all be able to see each other in the group on the app so no need to post on the thread here if you don’t want to.
I had loads of Qs for Craig when I was registering and playing last weekend so reach out via this thread if you have any queries – I’ve registered Craig to the forum (CraigFB) so he’ll likely post on the back of this post to say hello and perhaps offer a way to contact him directly for those having problems who don’t want to post publicly on this thread.
I should also say – play is for free – you won’t be asked for any card or bank details or anything like that – just your email address for registration purposes. Craig’s intention is that eventually when it is all working Ok that play will be monetised (players can pay an entry fee designated by their group admin and then share out the prize money to whoever wins the tipping comp) BUT FREE AT THIS STAGE HE JUST WANTS US TO HELP TEST IT. I would also like to say I (or TRF) have no financial interest or ownership, etc, in Friendly Bet, just doing this to help the guy out with what looks a nice app that some of us may enjoy going forward – might become a regular Saturday thing for us, who knows.
Competition this week will be on Saturday tipping through the card on one of the day’s meetings. Hopefully Doncaster is the one he’ll select for us flatties!!!
I hope I’ve explained it well – if not let me know what is unclear and I (or more likely Craig) will get a response to you.
Thanks all
Cormack15Hi all, Craig here
Firstly, big thanks to David for setting this up and giving it a proper test run last weekend, really appreciate it.
Just to give a bit more context on the idea behind it…
The core concept is simple:
It’s a social tipping game where you compete against your mates (or a group) across a full race meeting. Longer term, the plan is that players can put in something like £5/£10 each and whoever tops the leaderboard at the end of the day takes the pot.For now though, everything is completely free, this is just about testing it properly, getting feedback and most importantly fine tuning the scoring.
How it works (in simple terms):
– You pick 2 horses per race
– You can optionally choose “Hot Picks” for higher risk/reward bonus points
– Points are awarded for wins/places, plus any Hot Pick bonuses, Bold Picks and Streak Points.
– Leaderboard updates throughout the dayA couple of key things to know:
– Mobile is definitely the best experience, especially if you’re playing along live during the day
– You need to have your picks in at least 1 minute before each race starts
– Or, you can set and forget – lock in all your picks before the first race and check back at the end of the dayAt the moment, there’s one main race meeting available each day to keep things simple, but you’re free to create your own groups during the week to get familiar with the format, scoring, and different strategies (especially around Hot Picks, these can make or break your meeting!).
That should help get everyone up to speed ahead of:
– Another TRF comp on Saturday 4th April
– Then the Grand National the following weekThat Doncaster request is noted and locked in for this Sat 28th March. Members votes for meetings selected on the forum might be an idea maybe?
On the onboarding side:
– After signing up, you’ll get a couple of emails to complete the process, if you don’t see them (likely not), check your junk folder
– If they do land in junk, moving them into your inbox helps make sure future emails come through properly
– iOS is pretty straightforward
– Android just has an extra “opt-in” step before download, so I’m especially keen to hear from Android users if anything isn’t clear, happy to help you through it.If anyone gets stuck or has any questions, feel free to post here or drop me a message at:
support@friendlybet.appReally appreciate anyone giving it a go, the feedback from this group will genuinely help shape where it goes next.
I love this concept- we used to do something similar in our local pub on pen and paper and it really added something to the days punting. Definitely needed these days with affordability checks, so people who still want a small financial interest can without having to deal with bookies.
I know a few people who have taken part in similar things via twitter etc but always ends up a rigmarole trying to get people to cough up entry fees etc.
I will try and sign up if I get time.
To those who have signed up so far, or are considering it, thanks for the interest, I really appreciate it.
Just a quick one, if you do sign up, keep an eye on your junk folder for the follow-up email. If possible move it to your inbox so future emails come through properly.
@kendicate that’s exactly how this started.I was running a similar thing on Excel with family, which then grew to friends, then friends of friends… and it just became a bit of a job in itself. Every Saturday I was chasing picks, updating spreadsheets & double-checking results.
This basically takes all of that away and runs in the background. It’d be great to get your take on it if you get a chance to try it.
Also worth mentioning, everything is fully automated end-to-end (from sign-up through to results/leaderboard), so once you’re in, it should all run smoothly.
Shout if anyone gets stuck at any point.
Congrats @chestnut – Welcome on board and thanks for joining.
Some notes on the scoring set up –
RACE TYPE & PLACES
No. of Runners Race Type Places Awarded
<=4 Win-Only 1st only 5–7 Place Race Top 2 8–11 Place Race Top 3 12–15 Place Race Top 4 16–17 Place Race Top 5 18+ Place Race Top 6Hot Picks Result Points
You get:+20 pts if your Hot Pick horse Wins
+10 pts if it PlacesHot Picks Selected All Correct If 1+ Fail
3 +50 pts –15 pts
4 +75 pts –30 pts
5 +100pts –45 pts
If your hot pick streak fails (if either horse in a race where you selected a hot pick does not place or win) you also lose any points from Hot Picks Result Points, this can drastically alter your score either wayBOLD PICKS
Extra points for horses that win at long odds:
Starting Price Bonus Points
10/1 – 19/1 +20 pts
20/1 – 39/1 +40 pts
40/1 or higher +60 pts
Applies to winning horses only – not for places.STREAK BONUS – Accuracy Rewarded
Get rewarded for consistent successful picks across the day. Based on how many of your 14 or 16 total horses Win or Place:
Correct Picks (7 Races) Correct Picks (8 races) Points
0–2 0
3–4 20
5–6 40
7–9 60
10–13 80
14+ 100FINAL SCORE SUMMARY
Your final score =Points from horses
Bold Pick Bonus
Hot Pick Bonus (or –Penalty)
Streak BonusCraig, a good idea that sounds a lot of fun. You must have put plenty of work in so I just want to sound a friendly note of caution based on my own past experience: have you taken legal advice to ensure you won’t end up in court (assuming you are not licensed by the Gambling Com)?
@Steeplechasing – Appreciate the note and completely understand the concern.
FriendlyBet is currently a play-money, closed beta product so there are no deposits, withdrawals, or real-money prizes involved. The focus at this stage is purely on testing the race day experience in a controlled environment.
I’ve also proactively contacted the UK Gambling Commission to make them aware of what I’m building and to ensure I’m taking the right approach as things develop.
As part of that, I’ve deliberately avoided displaying any regulatory or safer gambling logos publicly to prevent any confusion around licensing, and have made the “Beta Play-Money” nature of the app clear throughout.
Transparency and fairness are a big part of what I’m trying to build, so I really do appreciate you raising it.
Hopefully see you on there for a Race Day soon.
Just a quick update- and a big thanks to everyone who has signed up so far, really appreciate it.
Well done Cormack15 on Saturday who just pipped Chestnut at the post!
It’s already been really helpful from a testing point of view, especially around the Android onboarding. A couple of you missed out as a result, so thanks for bearing with me on that. Google hasn’t made it quite as straightforward as Apple, strangely!
Just a quick heads-up for Android users mainly (but worth noting for all mobile users)…
During install, Android can sometimes show quite a broad list of permissions (e.g. storage, links, etc). Just to reassure- the app does NOT access or store any personal files, photos, or data from your device. These are standard permissions tied to how the app is packaged and how installs/links are handled.
If anything looks unclear at any stage, feel free to shout and I’ll happily talk it through.
Also just a reminder- there’s a race meeting available each day, so you’re free to jump in and try it out whenever suits. You can also create your own groups during the week and invite friends or family to have a go and get used to it ahead of the TRF Saturday competitions.
Thanks again for all the feedback and help so far, it’s been really useful.
Hopefully we can get a few more of you in for the next one.
See you at the stalls.There’s a live meeting available every day at the moment, so plenty of chances to have a go.
Newcastle Finals Day tomorrow if anyone fancies giving it a spin.
Android sign-up has now been smoothed out as well — appreciate everyone who helped test it. iOS and web are good to go straight away.
If you fancy trying it you can use the league code posted by admin above one you’ve created your account.
Any questions, drop me a message
Everyone – we go again today (Saturday) with Musselburgh – It’s free (ignore the Entry Fee £5 bit – it doesn’t charge and you don’t have to enter any card details or anything like that).
Download the App, register and then join the Group ‘TRF test‘ using the invite code F60421FEIt’s good fun to add some spice to a Saturday – if we get a few more entrants TRF will put up a small prize each week!
Great stuff BHL – 5 of us in so far – 6 if regular Chestnut weighs in.
Two ways to play (or combine) – pick all your picks and lock them in for the day and off to B&Q or Tesco OR if you are watching the TV follow the leaderboard and adjust your picks and hot picks according to where you are on the leaderboard.
Craig’s interested in feedback on how the app is in terms of functionality and also any feedback on how to improve the gameplay/scoring, etc, so feel free to let him know the good and the bad so he can modify it accordingly.
Thanks all.
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