# How skill-based wagering works

Source: https://skill.io/learn/how-skill-wagering-works
Last updated: 2026-10-01

What happens to your stake, how the prize is worked out, which games you can play and who can play. A plain guide to wagering on Skill.io.

Skill.io is where you put real money on games of skill and on sport. This guide covers what happens to your money from the moment you stake it to the moment you are paid.

## What is skill-based wagering?

It means the result depends on how well someone plays, not on chance alone. On Skill.io you stake money on yourself against another player in console duels, chess and sim trading, or take on a contract on one of our game servers.

The platform also has a sportsbook. The two sides, Games and Sports, share one balance, so winnings from a duel can go straight onto a parlay with nothing to move between them.

## What happens to my stake when I create a match?

Your stake is reserved from your available balance and held while the match is open or in play. It is not spent. If nobody accepts, or you cancel, the hold is released and the money is yours again.

You can cancel as long as the match is still open and nobody has accepted it. Once someone accepts, the match is on and one side cannot cancel it alone.

## How is the prize worked out?

The winner takes the pot: both stakes together. Console duels and Coin Flip between players have no house cut, so you win what your opponent staked on top of getting your own stake back.

Chess against another player is the exception. 5% of the loser's stake goes to Skill.io, so the winner gets their stake back plus 95% of the opponent's.

Coin Flip against Skill.io pays 1.90x your stake: a $10 flip pays $19 when you win. The coin is a fair 50/50, so that is a 5% house edge.

## Which games can I play?

Duels against another player in FC, NBA 2K, UFC and F1, played on your own console or PC. Coin Flip against another player or the house. Chess against the Skill.io AI or another player. Sim Trading on live currency prices. Contracts on our own DayZ, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam and Rust servers.

You can also bet on chess.com games while they are being played. Forza, Fortnite and Rainbow Six are listed as coming soon.

## Who can play, and what do I need to verify?

You must be 18 or over, or the legal age where you live if that is higher, and allowed to play for money there. The full rules are in the Terms.

Coin Flip, Chess, Sim Trading, contracts and the sportsbook need nothing extra. For console duels you link the gaming account you play on, so results can be matched to you.

## What currency is used?

US dollars. Balances, stakes and payouts are all in USD. A USDC or USDT deposit on Ethereum is credited 1:1 as dollars, and crypto withdrawals are sent on Ethereum too.