How to Play BetAmerica Handicapping Contests
Below we have also included a step by step description on how to get to the handicapping contest lobby, open a handicapping contest, make your selections, export your selections into similar contests, watch your scores in the live lobby, and finally see your contest once it has completed.
If you still have some questions that didn't get answered, check out our FAQs.
Step 1: View Contest Lobby
From the lobby, you can choose any contest you'd like to enter.Lobbies:
The top tabs displayed are: Available, Entered, Live, and Complete.
- Available – The available lobby is where you will find all fantasy contests that are available for you to enter.
- Entered - Once you have paid entry to a contest the contest will move from the available lobby to your entered lobby.
- Live - As soon as the contest goes live, the contest will move to the Live tab where you can watch your score update in real time.
- Complete - Lastly, once the contest has finished and the prize pool has been paid out the contest will move to the complete tab.
Filters:
Contest Type FiltersIn the racing contest lobby you will have the ability to filter based on the type of contest. Each type has a unique colored tag that will allow you to narrow down your contest options to select the right one for you. Below is a brief description of each contest filter type.
Any contest with the blue "Guaranteed" tag is guaranteed to run as long as the contest has at least one contest entry. The entire prize pool amount will be paid out according to the specific contest description, regardless of the number of entries. BetAmerica reserves the right to cancel a Guaranteed contest if there is a technical or track related issue, or if the contest has fielded zero entries.
Handicapping contests denoted as Live Play allow players to alter their selections for each race until the wagering pools close in each race. In the lobby, live play contest will be labeled with a light blue tag.
Handicapping contests denoted as “Handcuff” Games mandate that players make selections for each contest race prior to the closing of the first race event in the contest. After the first race in the content is considered ‘closed’ for selections(until wagering pools are closed) –players will be ‘handcuffed’ to their roster of selections and unable to edit any selections for any races in the contest. In the lobby, handcuff contest will be labeled with a grey tag.
A BetAmerica trademark, EasyScore is a Fun and Easy way to play fantasy contests. EasyScore is unique in that rather than a WPS payout, you receive point values for how the horse finishes. For example, if the horse you picked finished first, in an EasyScore game you would receive 25 points for the win. The most points at the end of the contest wins!
These contests allow users to enter more than once into the same contest. The number of entries per user will be designated in the contest rules.
These contests are special promotional contests designated by a gold tag in the lobby.
Step 2: Enter & Select
After clicking the contest you would like to enter the Selections page will appear.On the left, you have the races and runners that you can select from and on the right, you can see your selections as you make them.
For each race, you will need to select a primary and an alternate. The reason you have to choose an alternate is because if your primary selection scratches then your alternate will take its place. If both your primary and alternate scratch, then you will be given the post time favorite for your selection.
Features to use when making your selections:
- Opponents: Shows everyone who has already entered this contest.
- Prizepool: The prize structure will be broken down, showing which places get paid what amount.
- Contest Rules: Rules for the contest are posted, this includes: scoring, minimum number of entries, maximum number of entries and maximum number of entries per player.
- Reserve My Spot?: This button allows you to pay the entry fee and lock your spot without having to make any selections at that given moment. All selections are editable up until the start of the contest, so locking your spot could be a great option if you see the contest filling up fast, but you don’t know your selections yet.
- Import: Import allows you to import existing selections that you have made for the exact same contest type as the one you are entering.
Once you have submitted your selections, you will be directed to the confirmation screen, this is also when your entry fee will be debited from your account).
Step 3: Quick Entry
Our quick entry lobby will appear on the right. All the contests that are the exact same game type as the one you just entered will appear on the right allowing you to export your current selections into any of the available contests.You can enter your selections into any of the contests displayed on the right of your current selections by simply clicking on them. Once you select a contest you wish to enter, a green check mark will appear on the contests. If you do not want to enter any other contests, then you can navigate back to the lobby by clicking either Racing or Lobby in the top left of your screen. Once you've finished selecting the additional contests you wish to enter, scroll down to the bottom of the list to hit enter, submitting your selections into those additional contests and debiting your account the total additional entry fees.
Step 4: Contest is Live
The live lobby looks just like the entered lobby and the available lobby, but your Score and Rank are listed for each contest. You are able to filter within this Live lobby using the lobby filters at the top.To view an individual contest simply click on the desired contest. Here you can see your selections on the left and the current standings on the right. You can compare your selections to anyone else’s by clicking on their username or ranking on the right. Live scoring updates automatically every 10 seconds without refreshing the page. If a stat is not seen or is displayed incorrectly, then wait until the end of the race and the scores should update to reflect the official results.
Step 5: Contest Completed
Once the last race of the contest has official been finalized, your contests will move from the Live tab to the Complete tab. In the complete tab, you are able to see your 1,000 most recent completed contests that are filterable by contest type, roster size, buy-in, and entry number.To see the breakdown of a specific contest, simply click on your desired contest. The below screen will appear allowing you to see how your selections compared to others in the contest. Like in the Live scoring, you can click on anyone on the right and their selections will appear allowing you to see who they selected and how they scored.