Terms and Conditions

1. Who we are

MessageBet (messagebet.co) is operated by Targetlocal Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under Companies House registration number 02662814. In these terms, "we", "us" and "our" mean Targetlocal Limited, and "you" means the person named on the account.

Our address is Ken Howells Sports Betting, 65 Wind Street, Ammanford, SA18 3DT, United Kingdom. Customer support can be reached at support@messagebet.co.

Targetlocal Limited is licensed and regulated in Great Britain by the Gambling Commission under account number 422. Our remote operating licence number is 000422-R-336567-002, and it covers these activities:

• Casino Remote
• General Betting Standard (Real Event) Remote
• General Betting Standard (Virtual Event) Remote

You can check these details on the public register kept by the Gambling Commission by searching for our account number.

2. How these terms work

These terms apply from the moment you open an account. When you tick the acceptance box at registration, you agree to them and to the following, which form part of the same agreement:

• our Betting Rules, which set out how each type of market is settled, including racing rules, void bets and abandoned events;
• the rules and information screen inside each casino game;
• the terms of any promotion you choose to take part in.

Where these terms and the Betting Rules both deal with how a bet is settled, the Betting Rules apply. Where the terms of a promotion conflict with these terms, the promotion terms apply to that promotion only.

How we handle your personal data is explained in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. These terms are written in English, and we will communicate with you in English.

3. Who can hold an account

You may open and use a MessageBet account only if every one of these statements is true:

• you are 18 or over;
• you live in Great Britain and are physically located in Great Britain each time you use the account;
• you do not already have a MessageBet account;
• you are not self-excluded from MessageBet and are not registered with GAMSTOP;
• you are betting with your own money, for yourself, and not for another person or a business.

It is against the law for us to let anyone under 18 gamble. If we find that an account is held by someone under 18, we will close it, void every bet placed on it, withhold any winnings and return the money that was deposited.

We check GAMSTOP when you register and again from time to time afterwards. If you are registered with GAMSTOP, we cannot open an account for you or let you use one you already have.

Every account needs a mobile number, because we use it to help confirm your identity and to connect Message Betting. You will be asked to confirm the number and your email address before the account is activated.

4. Your account and its security

Keep your details up to date in My Account. If you move house or change your mobile number or email address, update the account before you next deposit or bet. Some changes, such as a new name or address, mean we have to verify you again.

Your login details are personal to you. Do not share your password, and do not let anyone else use your account, your card or the phone linked for Message Betting. We will never ask you to send your password by email, by text or through WhatsApp or Telegram.

If you think someone else has got into your account, tell us straight away at support@messagebet.co. Until you do, activity carried out with your correct login details is treated as yours, unless it happened because of a failure on our part.

Your balance is not a bank account. It earns no interest and must be used only for betting and gaming with us. You cannot transfer, sell or lend your account or balance to anyone.

5. Verifying your identity

The Gambling Commission requires us to verify your name, date of birth and address before you can deposit or place a bet.

We first try to confirm your details electronically, using identity verification services that check sources such as the electoral roll and credit reference data. If that does not confirm who you are, we will ask you to upload documents through My Account, for example:

• photo identification, such as a passport or a UK driving licence;
• proof of address, such as a recent utility bill, council tax bill or bank statement showing your name and home address.

My Account shows your status as Required (we need something from you), Pending (we are reviewing what you sent) or Verified (checks complete). See Account Verification for details.

We may repeat these checks later, for instance when you ask to withdraw or your details change. Documents must be genuine and unaltered. If we have grounds to believe one has been forged or edited, we will close the account and may report the matter to the police and the Gambling Commission.

6. Source of funds and financial checks

As a licensed operator we must comply with the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Our licence also requires us to look for signs that gambling may be causing financial harm. For both reasons, we may ask how you fund your gambling.

A source of funds request normally asks for documents such as recent payslips, bank statements or a tax return, or evidence of savings, an inheritance or the sale of an asset. We will tell you what we need.

While a check is open, we may stop you depositing or betting. Where the law permits, you can still withdraw your balance. Where it does not, we will hold the funds until we are allowed to release them. Sometimes the law prevents us from explaining why an account has been restricted.

If you do not send what we ask for within the time we give you, we may suspend the account until you do. The results of these checks can also lead us to apply limits to your account or, in some cases, to close it.

7. Deposits

You can deposit only with a Visa debit card registered in your own name. We do not accept any other payment method. A card belonging to someone else, including a partner or relative, cannot be used, even with their permission.

Credit cards cannot be used for gambling in Great Britain. A deposit attempted with a credit card will be declined.

Before your first deposit, we will show you how customer funds are protected and the level of protection that applies if we become insolvent.

A deposit is added to your balance once your card issuer authorises the payment. If any fee applies, we will show it before you confirm. Your card issuer may make its own charges. Only deposit money that belongs to you and that you can afford to lose.

If you ask your bank to reverse a deposit (a chargeback) after using the money to bet, we may suspend the account while we look into it and take steps to recover the amount. If a payment was genuinely made without your authority, we will work with you and your bank to put it right. More detail is on our Payments page.

8. Withdrawals

Request a withdrawal from the Withdrawal section of My Account. We pay withdrawals to the Visa debit card you used to deposit, in your name. We cannot pay winnings to anyone else's card.

Your account must be Verified before we can process a withdrawal, and any further checks under sections 5 and 6 must be finished. Once requested, a withdrawal cannot be cancelled or put back into your balance to bet with.

If your card has expired or been cancelled, or your card issuer cannot accept a payment back to the card, we will ask you to add and verify another Visa debit card in your name so that we can pay you.

Transaction History shows the status of every withdrawal. How long a payment takes to reach your card depends on our checks and on your card issuer. We will not hold back a withdrawal to encourage you to carry on betting.

If winnings were credited to you because of an error of the kind described in section 18, we will deduct the incorrect amount before paying a withdrawal.

9. Placing a bet online

To bet on the website, choose an event from Sports, Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing or Live Betting, pick a market and add your selection to the bet slip. Enter your stake, check the potential return and press Place Bet. Our How to Bet guide goes through each step.

A bet is accepted when the bet slip shows a confirmation and the bet appears under Open in My Bets. If your connection drops while you are placing a bet, look in My Bets before trying again so that you do not place the same bet twice.

Prices can change between the moment you add a selection and the moment you press Place Bet. If that happens, the bet slip shows the new price and the bet is not placed until you accept it. Your stake is taken from your balance when the bet is accepted.

We may decline a bet, accept only part of the stake, or set a lower maximum stake on a market or an account. If we do, the bet slip tells you before anything is placed. Once a bet has been accepted, you cannot cancel or change it.

Odds can be shown in fractional or decimal format. The format changes only the display: a bet is settled at the price accepted.

10. Live betting

In-play prices move quickly and markets are suspended often, for example after a goal, a penalty award, a break of serve or a video review.

There is a short delay between pressing Place Bet on a live market and the bet being accepted. If the price changes or the market is suspended during that delay, the bet will either be declined or you will be offered the new price.

Scores, clocks and statistics on live pages come from data feeds and can be late or wrong. Bets are settled on the official result, not on what the live display showed.

If a bet on a pre-match market is accepted after the event has started, it is void and the stake is returned, unless that market was being offered in-play at the time.

11. Horse racing and greyhound racing

On our racing pages you can bet at the fixed price shown when your bet is accepted. Where a market also offers Starting Price (SP), a bet struck at SP is settled at the official starting price returned for your selection.

Racing has its own settlement rules, and these are set out in full in the Betting Rules. They deal with non-runners, withdrawn and reserve greyhounds, deductions from winning bets when a runner is withdrawn late, dead heats and each-way place terms.

Where each-way betting is available, the place terms are shown on the market before you bet.

If a race is abandoned, stakes on that race are returned. If a meeting is moved to another day, bets are treated as the Betting Rules describe.

12. Message Betting: connecting your phone

Message Betting lets you bet by sending messages from your phone through WhatsApp or Telegram. It is open to customers whose account is Verified, and the Message Betting page explains how it works.

To connect, open the Message Betting section of My Account, choose WhatsApp or Telegram and confirm the mobile number registered on your account. Only that number can be linked. If you get a new number, change it in My Account first and then link the new one.

We act only on messages that reach us from your linked number through the channel you connected. We will not treat a message from any other number or account as a bet request, even if the sender gives your name or account ID.

You can unlink your number at any time in My Account. Bets already accepted stand and are settled in the normal way. A quote you have not yet confirmed lapses when you unlink.

WhatsApp and Telegram are run by other companies under their own terms and privacy policies. We do not control whether they are available or how quickly they deliver messages. If a channel is down, you can still bet on the website.

13. Message Betting: how a message bet is placed

Every message bet goes through the same four steps:

1. You send a bet request from your linked number, saying which event, market and selection you want to back and how much you want to stake. For a race, give the course and the off time. For an each-way bet, say so.
2. We reply with a quote setting out the selection as we have understood it, the price and the stake we will accept.
3. You confirm the quote by replying in the way the quote asks.
4. Our system sends you an acceptance message with a bet reference. The bet is accepted at that point, and the stake is taken from your balance.

A message on its own is never a bet. Your request is not a bet, our quote is not a bet, and your confirmation is not a bet. A message bet exists only once our system has sent you an acceptance that includes a bet reference.

Read the quote before you confirm it. By confirming, you agree to the selection, price and stake exactly as the quote states them, even where they differ from what you first asked for. If the quote is not what you meant, do not confirm it. Send a new request instead.

We may decline a request, quote a lower stake than you asked for, or ask you to clarify. Requests must be written text. If a team name matches more than one fixture, for example, we will ask which one you mean rather than guess.

A quote can be withdrawn or changed until we accept the bet. If the price moves or the market is suspended after we send a quote, we may send a revised one or tell you it has lapsed. The bet is accepted only at the price shown in the acceptance message.

Your balance must cover the stake when we accept the bet: Message Betting does not give you credit. Deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion apply to message bets exactly as they do online.

Accepted message bets appear in My Bets alongside your online bets and are settled under the same Betting Rules. They cannot be cancelled, and editing or deleting a message in WhatsApp or Telegram after sending it changes nothing.

14. Message Betting: records, timing and your phone

Our records

Our system records every message bet: the request, the quote, your confirmation, the acceptance and the time each was received or sent. These records are the record of what was offered and accepted. The chat history on your phone may not match them, for example where a message was delayed, edited or deleted, and in a disagreement our system records decide. You can ask for a copy of the records for any of your bets.

Timing

What counts is the time a message reaches our system, not the time it left your phone. A confirmation that arrives after the quote has lapsed, after the market has been suspended or, on a pre-match market, after the event has started will not be accepted, and we will tell you so. If you have not received an acceptance with a bet reference, treat the bet as not placed and check My Bets.

Your phone

Any message from your linked number is treated as sent by you. Keep your phone locked and do not let anyone else use it to message us. If your phone is lost or stolen, or you lose control of your WhatsApp or Telegram account, unlink it in My Account from another device or email support@messagebet.co straight away. Bets accepted before you tell us will stand. Once you have told us, we will stop accepting message bets from that number.

We will never ask you to send card details, your password or identity documents through WhatsApp or Telegram. If a message that appears to come from us asks for any of them, do not reply, and let us know.

15. Settlement, results and void bets

We settle bets on the official result of the event, as described in the Betting Rules. Winnings are added to your balance when a bet is settled, and the bet moves to Settled in My Bets.

A void bet is treated as though it had never been struck. On a single, the stake is returned. In a multiple, the void selection is dealt with as the Betting Rules set out. Postponed and abandoned events, non-runners, late bets and the errors covered in section 18 can all make a bet void.

We do not accept multiples that combine outcomes where one result makes another more likely. If a bet of this kind is accepted by mistake, it is settled as the Betting Rules describe.

If we settle a bet incorrectly, we will correct it and tell you. That may mean adding money to your balance or taking back an amount that was paid in error.

16. Casino games

The Casino is open to customers whose account is Verified. Each game has its own rules and an information screen explaining how it works and how it pays. Those rules form part of your agreement with us for that game, so read them before you play.

Game outcomes are produced by the game software. Neither we nor our staff can influence the result of an individual round.

Online slots in Great Britain are subject to stake limits set by the Gambling Commission, and the limit that applies can depend on your age. A slot will not accept a stake above your limit. Features that are not permitted for customers in Great Britain, such as autoplay on slots, are not available.

If a game malfunctions, all pays and plays affected by the malfunction are void and the stakes for those rounds are returned. If your connection drops part way through a round, the round is completed or settled as that game's rules describe.

Casino games draw on the same balance as your bets, and your responsible gambling tools cover the casino as well as the sportsbook.

17. Promotions

Any promotion we run has its own terms, which we show with the offer before you opt in. The key conditions, including anything you must do before a reward can be withdrawn, appear next to the offer itself and not only in the full terms.

We do not offer promotions to customers who have self-excluded or taken a time-out, and we send marketing only to customers who have agreed to receive it (see our Privacy Policy).

If we have reasonable grounds to believe a promotion is being misused, for example through several accounts, we may withdraw it from the accounts concerned and remove any reward gained. We will tell you why.

18. Errors and obvious mistakes

This section applies to online bets, message bets and casino games.

Obvious pricing errors

An obvious error is a price that is clearly wrong when compared with prices generally available for the same market at the time. Two selections with their odds swapped, or a price with an extra digit typed by mistake, would both count. Where a bet is struck at an obvious error, we will settle it at the correct price at the time it was accepted. If there was no correct price at that time, for instance because the market should not have been open at all, we will void the bet and return the stake.

Bets accepted too late

Section 10 covers pre-match bets accepted after the start. Any bet accepted after the outcome was already known is void and the stake is returned.

Money credited in error

Money added to your balance by mistake, through a wrong settlement, a payment error or a system fault, does not belong to you. We will remove it, and if it has already been withdrawn, you must pay it back.

We will let you know whenever we void or resettle a bet under this section. If you disagree, you can complain under section 23.

19. Responsible gambling tools

The Responsible Gambling section of My Account gives you the tools below. Each one covers online betting, Message Betting and casino games.

• Deposit limits. Cap how much you can deposit over a period you choose. A lower limit applies straight away. A higher limit applies only after a cooling-off period, and you will be asked to confirm it once that period has passed.
• Time-out. Take a short break. During a time-out you cannot deposit, bet or play, and the break cannot be ended early.
• Self-exclusion. Close your account to gambling for a longer period that you choose. It cannot be reversed before it ends. When it ends, the account stays closed until you contact us and ask to reopen it.
• Account history. My Bets and Transaction History show what you have staked, won, deposited and withdrawn.

To exclude yourself from every online gambling business licensed in Great Britain in one step, register with GAMSTOP. The scheme is free to use.

We also watch accounts for signs of gambling harm, such as deposits rising quickly or repeated declined payments, and may contact you, apply limits or restrict the account if we see them. If gambling is causing you problems, GamCare and BeGambleAware offer free, confidential support. Our Responsible Gambling page has more on how we approach this.

20. What you must not do

You must not use MessageBet to:

• open or use more than one account, or use anyone else's account, card or phone;
• bet for someone else, or let someone else bet through your account;
• bet on an event in which you take part or officiate, bet using information about the outcome that is not public, or bet in any way that breaks the betting rules of the sport concerned;
• work with other people to gain an unfair advantage, or cheat in a casino game;
• use bots, scripts or other automated tools to place bets, collect prices or send messages to Message Betting;
• deposit money that comes from crime or that you are not entitled to use;
• hide your location, for example by using a VPN to appear to be in Great Britain;
• knowingly take advantage of a fault or error on the site or in a game;
• abuse, threaten or harass our staff, by email, by message or in any other way.

If you do, we may void the bets involved, withhold winnings that result from the breach, close the account and report what happened to the Gambling Commission, the police or the sport's governing body.

21. Suspending and closing accounts

Closing your account yourself

You can close your account at any time from My Account or by emailing support@messagebet.co. If you want to stop because of how gambling is affecting you, choose self-exclusion instead: a closed account can be reopened, a self-excluded one cannot until the exclusion ends.

When we may suspend an account

We may suspend an account, fully or partly, while we:

• verify your identity or complete source of funds or financial checks;
• investigate a suspected breach of these terms, fraud or money laundering;
• look into concerns that gambling is harming you;
• deal with a chargeback or another payment problem;
• meet a legal or regulatory requirement.

We will tell you about a suspension and, where the law allows, the reason for it and what you need to do to have it lifted.

When we may close an account

We may close an account if you seriously or repeatedly break these terms, if the law or our licence requires it, or if the account holder is not eligible under section 3. We may also close an account for any other reason by giving you reasonable notice.

What happens to your balance

Open bets on a closed account are settled in the normal way unless they are void under these terms. When any checks are complete, the balance is paid to your Visa debit card. If your account has been inactive, the balance remains yours, and we will try to contact you using the details on the account before closing it.

22. Our responsibility to you

If we break these terms or fail to use reasonable care and skill, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that was a foreseeable result. We are not responsible for loss that was not foreseeable, or for loss caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as a failure of the internet, of your device or network, or of WhatsApp or Telegram. Your account is for private use, so we are not responsible for any business losses.

We cannot promise that the website or Message Betting will always be available or free from faults, and we may take either offline for maintenance. Statistics, form guides and live scores on the site are provided for information only.

Nothing in these terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that the law does not allow us to limit. Nothing in them affects your statutory rights, including your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

23. Complaints and disputes

If you are unhappy with anything we have done, tell us. Email support@messagebet.co or use the form on our Contact page, including your account ID, the bet reference if the complaint concerns a bet, what happened and what you would like us to do.

1. We confirm that we have received your complaint.
2. A member of our team investigates, checks our records and may ask you for more information.
3. We send you our final response in writing, no later than eight weeks after we received the complaint.

If you are not satisfied with our final response, or eight weeks have passed without one, you can refer the dispute to our alternative dispute resolution provider, the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS). IBAS is independent of us, and its service is free of charge to you. Our final response will tell you how to contact it.

The Gambling Commission does not resolve individual complaints, but you can tell it about any concern you have over how we operate. Nothing in this section prevents you from going to court.

24. Changes, governing law and other points

Changes to these terms

We may change these terms to reflect new laws or regulatory requirements, or changes to our products, Message Betting included. The date at the top of this page shows the latest version.

We will tell you about changes before they take effect, by email or when you next sign in. Where a change is significant, we will ask you to accept the new terms before you can bet again. If you do not accept them, you can close your account and withdraw your balance. Bets accepted before a change are settled under the terms in force when they were accepted.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and disputes may be brought in the courts of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also bring proceedings in the courts where you live.

Other points

• The content of the site, including its text, design, logos and software, belongs to us or our licensors. You may not copy, scrape or republish it.
• We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to a business that takes over MessageBet, and will tell you if this happens. You may not transfer your rights to anyone else.
• If a court decides that part of these terms cannot be enforced, the rest continues to apply.
• If we do not enforce a right straight away, we can still enforce it later.