Is this gambling?

Short answer: no. Friends settling friendly side bets is recordkeeping — we’re the scorecard, not the bookie.

The short answer

No. FOREPAID is a recordkeeping and settlement coordination tool. Friends place friendly side bets on the round they’re playing — same as they’ve done in golf for a hundred years — and FOREPAID keeps the math straight and points them to Venmo when the round’s over.

We don’t take stakes, hold funds, take a cut, set odds, or run a book. We’re the spreadsheet, not the casino.

What FOREPAID actually does

• Track the games your foursome chose (Nassau, Skins, Wolf, etc.)
• Compute who owes whom, to the cent, in real time as scores come in
• Show a live standings sheet so everyone knows where they stand
• At the end of the round, open Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle with the amount and memo pre-filled, so each pair can settle directly with each other
• Record the round history so you can see who won what over time

What FOREPAID does NOT do

• Hold any money. We never see, hold, or touch funds. Money moves directly between players via Venmo / Cash App / Zelle.
• Take a cut. Our revenue comes from the subscription, not the wagers. We’d make the same money whether you bet $1 or $100 — or nothing at all.
• Set odds or take action. The players themselves set the stakes before the round starts. We compute the math; we don’t book the bet.
• Process payments. We deep-link out to apps you already use. We’re not a payment processor.
• Allow strangers to bet. You bet only with people you’ve added to your foursome — friends, club buddies, the people you’d actually play with.

How we compare to actual gambling apps

The paper-scorecard analogy

Imagine your foursome plays a $5 Nassau every Saturday. Someone writes the bet on the back of the scorecard, you keep score, at the bar you do the math and hand over the cash.

None of that is gambling in the regulated sense. It’s a friendly wager between friends, settled in person.

FOREPAID is just a better scorecard. The math is automated. The Venmo handoff replaces the cash exchange. The fundamental activity — friends settling friendly side bets on the round they’re playing — is the same.

Your state, your call

State laws vary on social wagering. Most US states have a long-standing carve-out for “social gambling” — private wagers between individuals where no third party profits from the wager itself. Side bets in a regular foursome generally fall under this carve-out.

That said, you’re responsible for knowing what’s legal where you play. If you’re unsure about your state’s rules, check your state’s gambling regulations or consult an attorney.

Apple App Store classification

Apple’s App Store Guideline 5.3 classifies real-money gambling apps differently from apps like FOREPAID. Because we don’t hold funds or facilitate payment processing — settlement happens via Venmo / Cash App / Zelle, which are separate, regulated platforms — FOREPAID is not classified as a gambling app under Apple’s rules.

The app is rated 17+ because of the trash-talk language Russ can use at higher levels (Nuclear / Uncensored). Not for gambling content.

Important disclaimer