How To Play / FAQ
What Is Flight Derby?
Flight Derby is a FANTASY RACE GAME where actual, scheduled airline flights are pitted against each other to determine which flight can beat its scheduled arrival time by the greatest margin. Using Skill, Research, and Guile, Players use "in game money” to make wagers on which plane they think will win.
In a manner that is similar to that of a horse derby, players bet on whether a plane will either WIN, PLACE or SHOW, or in other words come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. The smartest players accumulate the most points and are rewarded with a growing point’s balance, various level rewards, badges, placement on the leaderboards - and the opportunity to win daily/monthly/tournament prizes.
Win, Place and Show Betting
Win: If you place a bet on WIN you are wagering that the flight will come in 1st Place.
Place: If you place a bet on PLACE you are wagering that the flight will come in 1st or 2nd Place. However, you will not get the Win Payoff, only the Place Payoff, which is generally lesser than the Win Payoff.
Show: If you place a bet on SHOW you are wagering that the flight will come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd Place. However, you will not get the Win Payoff, only the Show Payoff, which is generally lesser than the Win and Place Payoffs.
How are the odds calculated for the payoffs?
This is a pari-mutuel system meaning that all of the money that is bet by the players is awarded to the winning bettors. The payoff odds determined before the race starts are calculated based on the amount wagered on any particular flight as compared to the total amount bet on all of the flights. Consequently, very popular flights with lots of bets will have a lower or short odds and long shots or those flights perceived by the majority of bettors to be least likely to win will have the greatest or longest odds.
How do you determine which flight wins?
Whichever plane beats their scheduled flight time by the most, WINs the race, based on SCHEDULED gate arrival time vs ACUTAL gate arrival times. The second best flight wins PLACE, etc. The time is measured in minutes. Therefore there is a possibility of a tie. In the event of a tie, plane pots are combined and payout odds are recalculated.
How do I start?
After creating your account, take notice of your point balance and determine the amount you would like to wager on a race. (The Flight Derby MINI GAME does NOT require a starting point balance, as points are FREE per bet.) Go to the race page and pick a race you’d like to bet on. Determine which flight or flights you would like to wager on by analyzing the likelihood the flight you like will win and its proposed return based on the odds. The closer a race is to starting the more accurate the estimated odds will be as compared to the final odds that are determined after all bets are in. Place your bets and collect your winnings if you have made the right choices.
When do I have to bet?
You may bet as soon as a betting window opens up and until the window closes. Depending on the type of game, betting windows may close before or after flights have left the ground.
What if I run out of points?
You will be awarded points every day for logging in. Alternatively, visit the Duty Free Shop. Note: Our MINI Game gives away FREE points per bet, however, bets are set at a fixed number of points.