Settlement

The monthly timeline

Every pool follows the same four-stage settlement sequence. From the moment the pool ends, the clock runs on a fixed schedule — no one can speed it up, and nothing moves until each stage completes.

1. Step 1

   Pool ends

   T+0

   Final sync window opens

2. Step 2

   Audit

   24h

   Anti-cheat + score runs

3. Step 3

   Dispute window

   48h

   Anyone with stake can challenge

4. Step 4

   Payout

   After T+72h

   Funds release from escrow

Why we wait

The 24-hour audit window exists because data doesn’t always arrive on time. Strava syncs can lag by hours, watches that haven’t hit wifi yet won’t push their activities until they do, and GPS tracks sometimes take time to process on the device side. Without this buffer, a perfectly legitimate late-night workout completed before the deadline could miss the cutoff by minutes through no fault of the participant. The audit engine also uses this window to run its full anti-cheat pass — flagging impossible paces, suspicious GPS traces, and duplicate submissions — which requires a complete picture of all submitted proof before scoring.

The 48-hour dispute window comes next, and it’s not a courtesy — it’s a design requirement. The whole point of the proof layer is settlements that can’t be reversed once the money moves. Irreversible payouts only work if every person with stake in the game has had a fair chance to challenge the result before funds leave escrow. Once that window closes with no challenge, settlement is automatic and binding.

What ‘payout’ means

When settlement runs, losers’ staked amounts flow into a prize pool, and that pool — minus a 5% platform fee — distributes to winners by equal share. Every winner gets the same slice of the losers’ pool, plus their original stake returned.

To make that concrete: 247 participants in the May steps pool each stake $20, making a $4,940 pot. Say 60% — 148 people — hit their goal. Losers’ pool: 99 × $20 = $1,980. Platform takes 5% = $99. Winners split the remaining $1,881 equally: $1,881 ÷ 148 = $12.71 per winner. Add their $20 stake back and each winner nets $32.71 — a $12.71 return on a $20 entry. Side-bet markets resolve simultaneously: each market’s losing side (minus 5%) pays the winning side using the same equal-share split.

When settlement can be delayed past T+72h

Two conditions can hold settlement past the T+72h mark. First, if a dispute was filed during the dispute window, settlement waits for a reviewer to examine the evidence and issue a decision. Second, if the proof score for any participant on a high-stakes entry falls below 85 — even with no dispute filed — the result is flagged for mandatory review, because a score below that threshold means the audit engine wasn’t confident enough to settle automatically. In all other cases, settlement fires at T+72h sharp with no manual trigger required.