Plain English
How The Syndicate works
A sports research tool with the math showing. We don't take bets. You get a model's picks and the data behind them, play money to track yourself with, and friends to compete against.
The basics
What is this, exactly?
Every morning a model prices every game and player prop on the board using lines from DraftKings, FanDuel, Hard Rock Bet and BetMGM, plus team ratings and each player's game logs. It publishes the picks it likes, with its confidence and why. You use that to decide what to bet at your own sportsbook, or just to compete here with play money.
Is this a sportsbook? Does any real money move?
No. Nothing here is a wager. The "funny money" is a score. Every member gets $1,000 of it, slips take it out when you save them and pay it back when they grade. The only real money is the Pro membership.
Where do the odds come from?
Only DraftKings, FanDuel, Hard Rock Bet and BetMGM. Every price on the site is the best of those four, and each leg names its book. When you save a slip, every leg is re-priced at that moment so the number you lock in is one you could actually get. Exchanges and offshore books are deliberately excluded.
What's a unit (u)?
One bet's worth, whatever you wagered. Win a single at +150 and you're +1.5u; lose one and you're −1u. A parlay counts as one unit no matter how many legs. Units let people who bet $5 and people who bet $500 be compared fairly.
Picks, locks, parlays
What are the model picks?
For each game, the sides, totals and moneylines where the model's number beats the market by enough to matter. Each shows confidence (how often the model expects it to hit) and edge (how much better than the price). One pick per game is free; Pro members see all of them.
What's a lock?
The model's single strongest play of the day, of the week, and on the moneyline, with a short write-up. Locks are graded like everything else and have their own line on the Record page.
What are members' SGPs?
Same-game parlays built from one game: the legs the model is most sure of, stacked until the ticket pays +275 or better. The first tiles follow a game script (the favorite rolls, the underdog hangs around), so the legs rise and fall together. Each tile explains why its legs fit.
What are big plays?
Long-shot tickets, +1000 up to +10000 and beyond: touchdown stacks, moneyline mega parlays, favorites parlays, dog pounds and a moonshot. They're built only from legs the model likes, with the odds against them stated plainly. The Build-your-own section lets you reroll your own ticket, and sprinkles in long-shot scorers at plus money.
How are picks graded?
Against the final score and the official box score, the morning after. A missing stat line in a finished game counts as zero. A player ruled out before kickoff voids the pick (no bet, no grade). Everything stays on the Record page, wins and losses, with the closing line next to the price we published.
What's "beat the close"?
Whether the price we published was better than the price the books closed at. If we said −110 and it closed −125, the market moved our way. Beating the close consistently is the honest test that picks are good and not just lucky.
Your slips and funny money
How do slips work?
Tap any pick or odds button to add it. Two or more legs make a parlay; switch to Singles or Round robin if you like. Set a wager, save, and the slip is locked. It grades the morning after its last game and the payout returns to your balance.
Can I delete a slip?
Not once it's saved with funny money. That's what keeps the leaderboard honest. You can reload your balance any time from your account page; reloads are tracked separately so the "Most money" board rewards growing a stack, not refilling it.
What do Upcoming, In progress, Won and Lost mean?
Upcoming: no game on the slip has started. In progress: a game on it is being played right now, with every leg's live standing. Won, Lost and Push: graded. A parlay moves to Lost the moment one leg loses.
Can my friends see my slips?
Only if you publish them. The Publish toggle on a saved slip shows it to your leagues, and a published slip that cashes big can land on the Hall of Hits. The Share button makes a ticket image for group chats.
Competing
How does the leaderboard work?
Four boards: units won, most money, most bets hit and biggest hits. Everyone starts at $1,000, only slips saved before kickoff count, and you can opt out from your profile. Badges next to names mark streaks and milestones.
How does the weekly contest work?
Tuesday through Monday, like an NFL week. Pro members are entered the moment they save a slip. The score is net funny money on slips saved that week; ties go to most wins. The week closes Tuesday morning, the winner is announced and keeps the 👑 badge, and the board resets. Prizes, when posted, show at the top of the Contest page.
What are private leagues?
Fantasy-style groups with their own rules: a set starting bank, no reloads, a bust rule, a season end, and a winner by most money or most slips won. Each league has its own private chat that only members can see. Create one or join with a code on the Leagues page.
Pro
What does Pro include?
Every model pick, the locks, members' SGPs and big plays for every game, the player prop picks, the news and injury feed with pushes, the weekly contest, line-move alerts on your open slips, and the morning digest. $29 a month or $249 a year, cancel any time from your account page.
Is there a trial?
Yes, 7 days. Friends who join through your invite link get 14. Invite a friend and when they save their fifth slip you both get $250 of funny money and you get a free week of Pro.
Does Pro guarantee wins?
No. Nothing does. The model has an edge on average over many picks, and every pick it has ever published is on the Record page so you can judge that for yourself.
Account
How do I sign in?
Email a sign-in link or code, or set a password once on your account page and sign in instantly, including inside the phone app.
How do I get notifications?
Account → Alerts. On iPhone, add the site to your home screen first, then turn pushes on from the app. You choose which kinds: locks, slip results and injuries.
How do I change my username or picture?
Account → Profile. Names are checked; keep it clean. See something that isn't, tap the ⚑ next to it and we'll handle it.
21+. The Syndicate is a research tool and does not accept wagers. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Responsible gaming · Terms · Privacy