How Spolia works

Head-to-head console matches, settled fair — from lock-in to payout, here's exactly how it works.

Full walkthrough — escrow, playing the match, AI verification, and payout. Prefer to read? Every step is written out below. Watch on YouTube →

1

Connect your wallet

Connect your wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, or WalletConnect). Make sure you have USDC on Base to stake a match.

Tip: You’ll approve USDC spending once before creating your first match.

2

Create or join a match

Create a new match by picking your game (Madden, College Football, FIFA, NBA 2K, MLB, NHL) and stake ($5–$120), or browse open matches and join one.

Tip: Your stake locks in a smart-contract escrow the instant you create or join.

3

Play your match

Play head-to-head on your own console, and capture your scoreboard twice with the same shortcut — Cmd+Shift+S (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+S (Windows). The desktop app grabs each shot without you leaving the game.

  • ·At kickoff: capture the scoreboard at 0–0, before the first play
  • ·At the final whistle: capture the ending scoreboard with the result
  • ·In each shot: full scoreboard in focus, both scores and the game clock readable, nothing covering the numbers

Tip: Both shots are required — the 0–0 start plus the final score is what proves the game ran end to end and lets the AI verify your result. The shortcut works in fullscreen; no window-switching or file-picking.

4

AI verifies the score

Upload the screenshot (the desktop app does this for you). Claude Vision reads both players’ scoreboards and determines the winner.

Tip: If the read isn’t confident or the screenshots disagree, a human reviews it before any payout.

5

Get paid automatically

Once the winner is verified, the smart contract releases the pot — minus the 2.5% fee — straight to the winner’s wallet.

Tip: Example: a $10 stake each → winner gets $19.50, platform fee $0.50.

What protects you

Escrow-locked stakes

A smart contract holds both stakes before kickoff. No middleman — and no opponent — can access your money.

AI verification

AI reads the final scoreboard automatically. Anything unclear goes to human review before payout.

Instant settlement

When the read is clean, the winner is paid within minutes of the result being submitted.

Frequently asked

What if the AI can’t verify the screenshot?+
If a screenshot is unreadable, the read is low-confidence, or the two players’ screenshots disagree, the match moves to a Disputed state and a person reviews the evidence before anything is paid out. Your stake stays locked in escrow the whole time — nothing is settled on a guess.
What are the stake limits?+
$5 minimum, $120 maximum per match. Both players stake the same amount. See the Fees page for a full breakdown.
Which blockchain is used?+
Spolia runs on Base — an Ethereum layer-2 with very low fees. Stakes and payouts are in real USDC.
What if my opponent doesn’t submit a screenshot?+
You don’t have to wait on them. Submit your own final screenshot; once a short deadline passes (usually under an hour), the match settles from it and pays the rightful winner — a losing opponent can’t freeze your money by refusing to upload. If one screenshot can’t establish a clear result, or an account is brand new, a person reviews it first. A match that can’t be resolved at all refunds both stakes after a 7-day timeout.

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