Help Centre

Go to Register and fill in your first and last name, date of birth, email, mobile number, password, address, city and postcode. You'll be asked to accept the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.

After that, we ask you to confirm your email address and mobile number, then we run identity checks. Once you're verified and the account is activated, you can log in, add funds and bet.

Every account needs one. It's the number we link to WhatsApp or Telegram if you use Message Betting, and it's how we know a bet request really comes from you. Messages from numbers that aren't linked to an account are ignored.

We also use it to confirm your details when you sign up. Use a number that's yours and that you keep with you, not a shared or work handset.

No. You have to be 18 or over on the day you register, and the date of birth you give us is checked during verification. If we find an account belongs to someone under 18, we close it.

You can register once your birthday has passed. We can't accept an early registration or hold one open until then.

Yes, as long as each account is in that person's own name, with their own email address, mobile number and Visa debit card. We allow one account per person, and our checks pick up duplicate sign-ups.

Don't share logins or use each other's cards. Deposits have to come from a card in the account holder's name, and message bets are only taken from the number linked to that particular account.

New accounts can't deposit or bet until verification is finished. Open My Account and look at the Verification section.

• Required means we need something from you, usually a document.
• Pending means we're reviewing what we have.

When it shows Verified and the account is active, Deposit opens up. The account verification page explains the checks.

Check your spam or junk folder first, and search for anything from messagebet.co. Then make sure the address you typed at registration was spelled correctly.

If the address was wrong, or the email still hasn't turned up, contact support@messagebet.co or use the contact page. Include your full name and date of birth so we can find the account. We can't activate it until the email address is confirmed.

Log in and open Profile in My Account. If you've moved house, we may need proof of the new address, and the Verification section will show Required until we have it.

If you change your mobile number, reconnect WhatsApp or Telegram under Message Betting as well, because requests from the old number will stop working. You can't edit your name or date of birth yourself. If either is wrong, contact support.

Use the reset password page and enter the email address on your account. We'll send a link to set a new one. If it doesn't arrive, check your spam folder.

If you've also lost access to that email account, contact support. We'll need to confirm who you are before we change anything. Nobody at MessageBet will ever ask you for your password, by email, phone or message.

Use a password you don't use anywhere else, and change it in the Security section of My Account if you think someone else knows it. Log out when you've used a shared computer.

Your phone matters too. We take message bet requests from your linked number, so keep the handset locked. If it's lost or stolen, contact support straight away and we'll disconnect the messaging channel.

Transaction History in My Account lists every deposit, withdrawal, stake and return, with the date and status of each. My Bets holds the bets themselves, split into Open and Settled, including bets placed by message.

For a summary of what you've spent and won over a period, look at the activity statement in the Responsible Gambling section.

If you're closing it because your gambling worries you, choose self-exclusion instead. It stops you using the account and opening a new one for the period you pick, which a simple closure doesn't do. See Responsible Gambling.

For any other reason, use account closure in the Responsible Gambling section of My Account, or ask support. Withdraw any remaining balance to your card first.

We sometimes limit an account while we finish a check, for example extra verification, a source of funds review or a security concern. Look at the Verification section of My Account and your email first, as that's where we'll say if we need something from you.

If there's nothing there, email support@messagebet.co from your registered address. We'll tell you what we can, though with some checks the law limits what we're allowed to say.

Often none. We first try to confirm your identity and address electronically from the details you gave at registration.

If that doesn't work, the Verification section of My Account will show Required and tell you what to upload. That's usually photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence, plus a recent document showing your name and address. Every document must be in the same name as the account.

• Required: we need something from you. Open Verification in My Account to see what.
• Pending: we have what we need and we're checking it. There's nothing for you to do.
• Verified: the checks are done, and you can deposit and bet once the account is active.

A Verified account can go back to Required if your details change or we need to run further checks.

We don't quote a fixed time. It depends on whether the electronic checks work first time and, if they don't, on how quickly clear documents reach us. While your status is Pending, we're working on it, and we'll email you when it changes.

To avoid delays, upload the whole document with every corner visible, make sure the text is readable, and check that the name matches your account exactly.

As a licensed operator we have legal duties to prevent money laundering and to check that customers can afford what they spend on gambling. That sometimes means extra checks, known as KYC or source of funds checks, even on an account that's already verified.

We'll explain what we need, which could be something like payslips or bank statements. Some parts of the account may be restricted while a check is open. The account verification page has more detail.

The usual reasons are:

• the photo is blurred, cropped or has glare across it
• the document has expired
• the name or address doesn't match your account

Check the reason shown under Verification in My Account, then upload a fresh photo of the original. If your name has changed, for example after marriage, contact support first so we can update the account.

No. Gambling Commission rules require us to verify your name, address and date of birth before you deposit or place any bet, and that includes bets sent by message. It keeps under-18s out and stops people betting under someone else's identity.

Once you're Verified, you won't have to repeat the checks unless your details change or we need further information.

Your account needs to be verified and funded first. Then open Message Betting in My Account, choose WhatsApp or Telegram, and connect it to the mobile number registered on your account.

Once the channel shows as connected, you can send bet requests from that number. The Message Betting page goes through each step, from sending a request to seeing the bet in My Bets.

No. A message on its own never places a bet. A bet is only accepted when our system replies with an acceptance and a bet reference, and then it shows under Open in My Bets.

If you've had no reply, check you sent the request from the number linked to your account. We ignore requests from any other number. If the event is about to start, it's safer to place the bet online through the sportsbook.

Only if the work phone's number is the one linked to your account. We act on requests from the linked number and channel only, and anything from another number gets no reply.

To switch numbers, update your mobile in My Account and reconnect the channel. Think twice before linking a phone other people can pick up: every request from that number is treated as coming from you.

No. A quote is valid only for the period stated in the quote message. After that the price can't be taken. Send a new request and we'll quote again, though the price may have moved.

A quote can also lapse early if the market is suspended or the event starts. If you didn't confirm in time, no bet was placed and no money left your wallet.

Plain English is fine. Include:

• the event (for horse racing, the course and race time)
• the market and your selection
• your stake, and for racing whether it's win only, each-way or at SP

If anything is unclear, we'll reply with a question rather than guess. Sending a request doesn't commit you to anything. You only have a bet after you confirm our quote and we send back an acceptance with a bet reference.

Yes. Once accepted, a message bet goes into My Bets alongside your online bets. It sits under Open until it's settled, then moves to Settled. It carries the same bet reference as our acceptance message.

The stake appears in Transaction History, and the bet is settled under exactly the same betting rules as a bet placed through the bet slip.

The sportsbook covers football, tennis, basketball, golf, darts and rugby, plus other sports listed on the Sports page. What's available changes as fixtures are added and completed.

Horse racing and greyhound racing have their own sections, and anything in progress is on Live Betting. You can bet on any of these online or by message, once your account is verified and funded.

Usually not. Football bets are settled on 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Extra time and penalties don't count.

The exception is markets about who goes through, such as to qualify or to lift the trophy. Those include extra time and penalties, since that's what decides them. If you're not sure, the market name tells you, and the football section of the betting rules has the full detail.

If the match had started and a player retired before it finished, match betting bets are void and your stake goes back to your wallet.

Markets already decided before the retirement still stand. A bet on the first set winner, for example, is settled normally if that set was completed. If the player pulled out before the match began, every bet on it is void. In an accumulator, a void leg simply drops out.

Yes, on anything listed under Live Betting. In-play prices move quickly, and markets suspend when something big happens, so a bet can be rejected if the price changes before we accept it.

The score on screen is for information only and can lag behind. We settle on the official result. You can request in-play bets by message too, but they still only count once we reply with an acceptance and a bet reference.

If it's postponed to a later date, yes. Bets on it are void and stakes go back to your wallet. If only the kick-off time moves on the same day, bets stand.

If a match is abandoned part-way through, bets on markets that weren't decided are void, while markets already settled by then, such as the first-half result, stand.

No. A void leg is settled at a decimal price of 1.00, which means it drops out and the bet carries on with the other legs. A four-fold with one void leg is settled as a treble.

If every leg is void, your stake is returned. A losing leg still loses the whole bet. You'll see the void leg marked in My Bets.

For bets struck after the final declarations, yes. On a single your stake is returned. In a multiple the leg is void and the rest of the bet carries on.

Ante-post bets, where we offer them, are different. They're struck before the final declarations and lose if the horse doesn't run, unless the market was advertised as non-runner no bet or the race is abandoned. The betting rules cover this in full.

Rule 4 applies when a horse is withdrawn after the market has formed and there's no time to make a new one. The other runners were priced with that horse in the race, so winning fixed-price bets are reduced in line with Tattersalls' Rule 4.

The deduction depends on the withdrawn horse's price and comes off your winnings, never your stake. It's shown against the bet in My Bets.

It's two equal bets, one for your horse to win and one for it to be placed, so it costs double your unit stake. The place part pays a fraction of the win odds for a set number of places. Both are shown in the race market and the bet slip before you confirm.

If your horse wins, both parts pay. If it's placed but doesn't win, only the place part pays. The How to Bet page has more on placing one.

That's the dead-heat rule. When two horses tie for a position you're paid on, your stake is split between them: half is paid at full odds and the other half is lost. With three in the dead heat, it's a third.

The place part of an each-way bet works the same way if horses dead heat for the last place paid. The reduced return shows against the bet in My Bets.

Your bet was on the named greyhound, not the trap. If your greyhound was withdrawn and a reserve ran instead, your bet is treated as a non-runner and the stake is returned. In a multiple, that leg is void.

If your greyhound simply ran from a different trap, the bet stands. Meetings and runners are listed on Greyhound Racing.

For horse racing, we settle on the official result at the "weighed in" announcement. Stewards' decisions made before it count. Anything that changes after it, such as an appeal or a later disqualification, doesn't affect your bet.

For greyhounds, we use the official result declared by the track. If you think a bet was settled on the wrong result, contact support with the bet reference.

We accept Visa debit cards only. The card must be registered in your name, and the name should match your MessageBet account.

To add funds, open Deposit in My Account. Withdrawals are paid back to the same card, so use one you plan to keep. The Payments page explains how deposits and withdrawals work.

No. The card has to be in your own name. A deposit from a card in someone else's name will be declined, even if they've said it's fine.

This protects both of you, and it matters for withdrawals too: we only pay money back to the card it came from. Each person needs their own account and their own card.

The common causes are:

• your verification isn't complete yet
• the card isn't in your name, or the details don't match your account
• you've reached a deposit limit you set
• your card issuer refused the payment, for example because of a gambling block on the card

Transaction History will show the deposit as Declined. If none of these fit, contact support with the date and amount.

• Pending: we've received the request and it hasn't started yet.
• Processing: the payment is being handled.
• Completed: it's gone through.
• Declined: it was refused and didn't go through.
• Cancelled: it was stopped before it completed.

The same statuses apply to withdrawals.

Refresh the page, or log out and back in, and check the Wallet section of My Account rather than a page you had open earlier.

If the money still isn't there, contact support with the date and amount of the deposit and the last four digits of the card. Never send us your full card number or security code, by email or by message.

Open Withdrawal in My Account, enter the amount and confirm. The money is paid back to the Visa debit card you deposited with.

Your account needs to be verified, and we may ask for more information before paying out. You can follow each step in Transaction History, where the withdrawal moves from Pending to Processing to Completed.

No. Withdrawals go back to the same Visa debit card you used to deposit, and it has to be in your name. We can't send them anywhere else.

If that card has expired, been cancelled or been replaced by your bank, contact support before you request a withdrawal and we'll tell you what we need from you. The Payments page has more on how this works.

Pending means we've received the request and it hasn't moved to processing yet. The usual reason for a hold is an open check, such as outstanding verification, a source of funds review or a security check. Look at the Verification section of My Account and at your email, as that's where we'll ask for anything we need.

If there's nothing outstanding and it's still pending, contact support with the date and amount.

It usually comes down to one of these: your verification status has changed to Required, the card has expired or been cancelled, the card can't receive payments back, or the name on it doesn't match your account.

Declined means the payment wasn't made to your card. Check your wallet balance and Transaction History, then contact support with the date and amount so we can sort it out with you.

We don't give fixed times, because it depends on any checks we need to run and on your card issuer. Transaction History shows where your withdrawal has got to.

Once it shows Completed, the payment has left us, and how soon it appears on your card is down to your bank. If your bank can't find it, contact support with the date and amount and we'll look into it.

Open My Bets in My Account. It has two lists:

• Open: bets that haven't been settled yet.
• Settled: bets that have won, lost or been made void.

Each bet shows its reference, selection, price and stake, and settled bets show the return. Bets you placed by message appear here too.

We settle on the official result, which isn't always immediate. Horse racing waits for the "weighed in" announcement, greyhounds for the track's official result, and statistics markets for the official match data. An accumulator stays open until its last leg is settled.

If the official result has clearly been declared and your bet still hasn't settled, contact support with the bet reference.

No. Once a bet is accepted and has a bet reference, it can't be cancelled or changed. That applies to bets placed online and by message. Check the selection, price and stake in the bet slip or the quote before you confirm.

If a bet appears in My Bets that you didn't place, for example a message bet sent from your linked number without your knowledge, contact support straight away.

Contact support, or use the contact page, with the bet reference and what you think the result should have been. For a message bet, a screenshot of the message thread helps. We check it against the official result and our betting rules, and put it right if we got it wrong.

You'll get our final response within 8 weeks. If you're still unhappy after that, you can take it to IBAS, free of charge.

A void bet is treated as if it was never placed. Your stake goes back to your wallet and no winnings are paid. It then sits under Settled, marked as void.

Bets are made void for reasons such as a non-runner, a postponed match, a tennis retirement or a bet accepted after the start. In a multiple, only the void leg drops out and the rest of the bet carries on.

It's your stake multiplied by the decimal price, and it includes your stake. The bet slip shows it before you press Place Bet.

The actual return can be lower if a Rule 4 deduction or a dead heat applies to the bet. Bets taken at starting price don't show a fixed potential return, because the price isn't known until the race starts.

Open the Responsible Gambling section of My Account and set your deposit limit. Once you reach it, further deposits are declined.

If you lower a limit, it takes effect straight away. If you ask to raise it, the change only takes effect after a cooling-off period, so you have time to think it over. The Responsible Gambling page lists every tool we offer.

A time-out is a short break. You pick how long, and you can't log in to bet or deposit until it ends. It can't be cancelled early.

Self-exclusion is for when you feel gambling has become a problem. It's longer, you can't use your account or open a new one while it runs, and we stop sending you marketing. Both are set up in the Responsible Gambling section of My Account, or through support.

GAMSTOP is a free national self-exclusion scheme. Registering with it excludes you from online gambling sites and apps run by companies licensed in Great Britain, MessageBet included, in one step.

You sign up on the GAMSTOP website. While your exclusion is active, you won't be able to use your MessageBet account. You can also self-exclude with us directly from the Responsible Gambling section of My Account.

Yes. Reality checks show you how long you've been logged in, at intervals you choose. Set them up in the Responsible Gambling section of My Account.

For a fuller picture, the activity statement in the same section shows what you've deposited, staked and won over a period. Transaction History gives you every individual payment if you want to go line by line.

Stop betting for now and put a block in place: a time-out, self-exclusion with us, or GAMSTOP for all British-licensed sites.

Free, confidential support is available from GamCare, which runs the National Gambling Helpline, and from BeGambleAware. You can also email support@messagebet.co and we'll help you set up any of our tools.