Shipping Safer Betting Controls on HivePredict

We understand everyone is different, and for some people who struggle with gambling or addiction, it can be easy to get into trouble without realising when to stop.

While HivePredict is a platform designed to be fun, we also acknowledge that it is unethical to run a betting platform without strong safety controls. In this latest update, safety is a major focus, with features designed to stop people from getting in over their head.

Prediction markets can be fair and still be risky for people who need stronger boundaries. This release is our first responsible-betting milestone: user-controlled safety settings with on-chain actions, server-side enforcement, and clearer product boundaries.

What shipped

1) Dedicated Safety Settings page

• Safety controls are now separated from the public profile into a dedicated Safety Settings page for account owners.
• This keeps profile pages focused on identity/performance while moving risk controls into private account settings.

2) Self-exclusion controls (24h, 7d, 30d, 90d, 1y, permanent)

• Users can activate self-exclusion from Safety Settings.
• Available durations: 24h, 7d, 30d, 90d, 1y, and permanent.
• Activation is one-way and immediate after indexer confirmation.
• Safety Settings includes current status and a safety history timeline.

3) Monthly spending limits with one-month lock

• Users can set monthly stake limits for both HIVE and HBD.
• Limits are enforced across the current UTC month using indexed prediction totals.
• Tightening limits is always allowed.
• Increasing or removing limits is locked until the next month boundary (one-month safety lock), then allowed.

4) Short cooldowns (12h, 24h, 72h)

• Users can start an immediate cooldown from Safety Settings.
• Cooldown blocks new predictions and market creation until expiry.
• Cooldown requests extend existing cooldown windows rather than shortening them.

5) Loss-streak protection with automatic cooldowns

• Users can configure:
  • loss_streak_threshold (consecutive losses)
  • loss_streak_cooldown_hours (auto cooldown duration)
• When threshold is reached, the indexer automatically starts a cooldown and records a safety event.
• The next prediction/market attempt is blocked with a clear reason and refunded in batched transfer flows.

6) On-chain safety actions + indexer handling

• Added a new custom_json operation: hivepredict_self_exclude_user.
• Added a new custom_json operation: hivepredict_start_cooldown.
• Added a new custom_json operation: hivepredict_set_safety_limits.
• Added indexer handling to persist exclusion state and immutable safety events.
• Added schema support for:
  • users.self_exclusion_type
  • users.self_excluded_at
  • users.self_excluded_until
  • users.self_exclusion_source
  • users.cooldown_started_at
  • users.cooldown_until
  • users.cooldown_reason
  • users.cooldown_source
  • users.loss_streak_threshold
  • users.loss_streak_cooldown_hours
  • users.monthly_stake_limit_hive
  • users.monthly_stake_limit_hbd
  • users.safety_limits_set_at
  • users.safety_limits_locked_until
  • new safety_events table for durable audit history

7) Hard server-side enforcement in market flows

• Self-excluded users are blocked from:
  • creating new markets
  • placing new predictions
• Cooling-off users are blocked from:
  • creating new markets
  • placing new predictions
• Spending limits are enforced server-side for:
  • new predictions
  • creator opening bets in market creation
• Enforcement occurs in indexer handlers (source of truth), not only web UI.
• If a blocked transfer is observed in the official batched flow, refund logic is queued with explicit reason codes (for example User self-excluded, Cooling-off active, or Monthly spending limit exceeded).

8) Clear UX for blocked actions

• Prediction form checks safety state and monthly budget, then disables invalid submissions.
• Market creation flow does the same for opening-bet checks.
• Safety Settings now includes:
  • self-exclusion controls
  • short cooldown controls
  • monthly spending limits
  • loss-streak auto-cooldown controls
  • safety history timeline
• UI shows precise status messages including cooldown end times and lock windows.

9) New safety API surface

• Added GET /api/users/:username/safety for:
  • current safety state
  • cooldown state
  • loss-streak settings and current consecutive losses
  • monthly limit state, month usage, and lock window
  • recent safety events
• This endpoint powers Safety Settings and action prechecks in prediction/create-market UX.

Why this matters

This release shifts safety from operator-only controls toward user agency:

• users can proactively stop participation,
• users can proactively cap monthly exposure,
• enforcement is deterministic and verifiable,
• and the product explains exactly why an action is blocked.

It also establishes the data model needed for the next stages of responsible-betting features.

What’s next

The next planned responsible-betting phases are:

1. Additional exposure controls (daily/weekly stake caps, net-loss caps, and bet-count caps).
2. Reality checks and pre-bet impact prompts.
3. Expanded transparency reporting on safety activations and blocked attempts.

This is a foundational step, not the finish line. We’ll continue shipping safety as a core product capability, not an afterthought. If you haven't already, check out HivePredict. And as always, thank you to the community who have embraced this and have helped it grow and flourish.