Settl Match Rules & Dispute Policy

1. Before the match

• The match page is the contract. Game, platform, stake, and any custom rules in the rules field apply to both players.
• Only rules stated on the match page (or in the pinned pregame chat) are enforceable. A rule nobody wrote down doesn't exist.
• Exception: exploiting glitches or manipulating the basic functions of the game is always against the rules, written or not.
• Check settings in the game lobby before you start. Check your rules and game settings now. Starting the match confirms they're correct — settings problems can't be disputed after you play. Wrong settings? Don't start: cancel or message your opponent. For solo challenges, the same rule applies to submitting your run: Submitting your run confirms your rules and settings were correct — settings problems can't be disputed after you play.
• Custom rosters, custom players, or guest players are not allowed in 1v1 matches unless both players agreed in writing (match rules or match chat) before the game.

2. Reporting results

• Either player can report the result when the match ends.
• The other player can confirm it, dispute it, or do nothing. An unanswered report auto-confirms after 30 minutes — you'll get a reminder with about 5 minutes left to confirm or dispute it yourself.
• If a match is accepted and nobody starts it or reports anything at all — zero activity from either side — it automatically voids after 24 hours: stakes are returned in full, nothing hits either player's record. You'll get a heads-up with about 2 hours left. Nobody can freeze your coins by ghosting.
• Auto-verified games (chess.com, Lichess, and other connected titles) settle from the platform's own result data — no reports needed, no dispute possible on the score itself.
• Cancellations: an unaccepted challenge can be cancelled anytime. An accepted match needs both players to agree to cancel. A cancelled match is final.

3. Fair play principles (how mods rule)

Adapted from twenty years of skill-gaming precedent — this is how our moderators decide disputes:

• No forfeit claims on unplayed games. You can't claim a win in a match that never started.
• Play past it, lose the claim. If a pregame-visible setting (quarter length, difficulty, roster, team) was wrong and you played more than a quarter of the match anyway, the claim is invalid regardless of score. Don't wait to see if you're losing before you object.
• Quitting concedes. Intentionally exiting while losing or tied, without evidence of a valid reason, concedes the match.
• Claiming a win you didn't earn — reporting a win in a game you lost, with nothing supporting it — is treated as a false report, not a misunderstanding.
• Lag happens. Unless the game was exited immediately and evidence of the lag is provided, the game stands — both players faced the same conditions. Intentionally inducing lag is cheating.
• Misleading your opponent to gain an advantage you wouldn't otherwise have will cost you the ruling.
• Misleading Settl moderators — fake, altered, reused, or out-of-context evidence — is an automatic forfeit and grounds for suspension. This is the line we care most about.

4. Evidence

Strongest to weakest:

1. Platform verification (auto-verified titles) — conclusive.
2. Stream VOD (Twitch/Kick, streamer-of-record match) — near-conclusive. Enable VOD saving before you stream — see the Stream & Recording Guide.
3. Video (console capture / DVR) — strong. Must show the full scoreboard with both gamertags visible and readable.
4. Screenshots — useful, weaker (no context around the moment).
5. Match chat on Settl — context for what was agreed.
6. Conversations off Settl (DMs, Discord, console messages) are not evidence of match agreements. If it matters, put it in match chat.

Practical rules: record every money match (console DVR costs nothing); keep evidence for 48 hours after a match settles even if you won; timestamps and visible gamertags are what make evidence usable.

5. Disputes

• A dispute opens automatically the moment your reports conflict — there's nothing to manually "open." From there, pick what it's about (score, no-show, settings, cheating, other) from the match page and attach your evidence — the evidence, not the story, decides.
• You have 24 hours from when the dispute opens to submit evidence. Unopposed evidence past that point can settle the match automatically in the other side's favor.
• Settings-related claims on completed matches are presumptively weak (see section 1). The system tags them for moderators.
• Moderators rule on evidence and these principles. Target turnaround: as fast as we can — most disputes settle the same day. Member disputes are reviewed first.
• Rulings can award the match, void it (stakes returned, minus fees where the match was played), or escalate to account action.
• Dispute outcomes are final. Repeated frivolous disputes are themselves a rule violation.

6. Things that end your time on Settl

Warning, suspension, or permanent ban depending on severity — severity is our call:

• Cheating, hacking, scripting, or glitch abuse
• Fake, altered, or reused evidence; false reporting
• Playing on someone else's account, or letting someone play yours
• Multiple accounts; ban evasion; smurfing to dodge your rating
• Match fixing, collusion, or fake wagering (including Pick a Side or Back Me manipulation)
• DDoS or any attack on an opponent's connection
• Intentionally stalling or tanking tournaments
• Impersonating Settl staff or moderators
• Chargebacks and payment abuse (money era)
• Harassment, hate, or threats — anywhere on the platform
• Anything else a moderator reasonably deems abusive; we'd rather lose a bad actor than a hundred good players

Suspended accounts: open positions are refunded per the suspension policy; ledger history is never altered.

7. Solo challenges

Sealed submissions: submit your result before seeing your opponent's. Your own verification code (SETTL-XXXX) must appear in your evidence as instructed. Solo runs are never streamed live: a public broadcast would show your opponent the target before they play. At Ⓒ 25.00+ per side, and for all real-money solo, the only accepted proof is ONE sealed Settl recording per player, made in the Settl iOS app — one continuous take with your code shown at the start and end; no retakes and no uploaded clips or links. Below that, a photo or uploaded clip is accepted. After both sides submit, the two participants (only) can watch each other's recording during the review window. Evidence tiers and the review window are shown on the challenge page. Solo challenges never carry spectator pools.

8. Streamed matches, backing, and pools

• Streamer-of-record matches: the stream is the primary evidence. If your stream never verifies, streamed-match benefits (the 2% fee discount, pools) don't apply and pool stakes are refunded. Matches of Ⓒ 100.00+ per side must be streamed with a verified account.
• Backers and pool stakers are protected by the same escrow and refund rules as players — see How It Works for the money paths.
• Settl Streaming (our own built-in capture): Heads up: either player in this match may choose Settl Streaming, which publishes their own recording as a public replay after the match settles. Only their own screen is captured — never yours, unless you record too. Choosing it is that player's own consent to publish; it never affects the settlement fee. See the Stream & Recording Guide.