Questions from the field,
answered in plain language.

No. It shows where each jackpot sits against the amounts it has hit at before, on that machine and on similar machines at other bars. That is history, not a forecast of your next spin.

Gambling outcomes are random. A jackpot at the top of its recorded range can keep climbing, and one near the bottom can hit tonight. Using JackpotSpy is no guarantee of any win or result.

You are photographing the jackpot amounts on the display, the same numbers every customer in the bar can see. Keep it low key: frame only the display, never other people, and don't block someone who is playing.

If the bartender or the owner asks you not to take pictures, don't. It is their bar. "Enter amounts manually" on the Home screen lets you type the numbers in instead of raising a camera.

Only when you use it. The app checks your phone's location when you add a reading, to confirm you are at the bar, and on the Home screen to find bars near you. It does not track your location in the background.

Other agents see your code name, never your name or email. Turn on Ghost Mode and your readings stay hidden from other agents altogether. The privacy policy has the details.

No. Every bar is open to every agent right now, because advanced analytics are included for local pioneers. Readings are what keep the history fresh, so every reading helps the next person who walks in, whether you snap it or type it in.

No. JackpotSpy is built for the machines at Wisconsin bars and does not track casino floors. Wisconsin comes first. If you want JackpotSpy in your state, tap the vote in the app.

Help is free, confidential and available any time: call 1-800-GAMBLE-5 (Wisconsin) or 1-800-522-4700 (national). You can also text that national number or chat at ncpgambling.org/chat.

A few habits help: decide your limit before you walk in, never chase a loss, and take a break from the app whenever it stops being fun. If you want to step away completely, Settings has Delete Account.

One reading of one machine's jackpot display, at one moment. The app records the amounts on the display, the machine, the bar, and the time. That is the raw material for everything else.

Hold your phone upright, get the whole jackpot display in frame with every level visible, and hold still for a second. If a game demo is playing, tap the screen first. When every number reads clearly, the reading saves on its own and you land on the machine's Intel. If one needs a look, the app asks you to check it first.

Rather not raise a camera? Tap Enter amounts manually on Home and type the numbers in instead.

Yes, at any bar that already has at least one tracked machine. Pick the machine, pick the level, and enter the amount. The same location rules apply. Manual entry is there for anyone who would rather not raise a phone camera in a crowded bar: tap Enter amounts manually on Home. Adding a new bar or a new machine still takes one photo.

If the app is unsure of a number, a Check the numbers panel asks you to fix it before saving. If a wrong number gets through, tap Fix a number on the receipt, or open the reading in the machine's history within 24 hours and tap Entered wrong?. The bad reading is set aside and the history stays clean.

Tell it. When a photo does not clearly match, the app shows you the bar's lineup with pictures and game lists, and you pick the machine you are standing at. If the lineup does not include your machine, you can add it.

Jackpot amounts only go down when the jackpot hits, so the app counts it as a hit and shows "Hit since last seen" on that level, with about what it paid and where it reset. If it was a misread, tap Fix a number on the receipt.

Yes. Every reading is a point on that jackpot's timeline. More readings, closer together, give everyone a clearer picture of how fast it climbs. There is no such thing as too many.

Other agents see your code name and a rough time, like "this evening" or "2 days ago." Never your email, your name, or the exact minute you were somewhere. In Settings, Undercover mode shows you as "Undercover Agent," and Ghost Mode hides your readings from other agents entirely while the intel still counts them.

They describe how much the network knows about one jackpot level at one bar. Established means agents have caught that level hitting here. Establishing means its climb has been tracked for a while but no hit has been caught here yet. Calibrating means it is new and needs more readings. Until then its Recorded range line says "Learning" and what would help. A level the app cannot place yet shows a grey bar. A machine's badge counts its levels, like "Established · 2 of 5 levels."

The dollar span where this jackpot has paid, at this bar and on similar machines at other bars. Network hit zone, under the bar, is where those hits land most often. The strike bar shows where today's amount sits: red reads Early build-up, yellow In the hit zone, green Prime zone. Last hit here shows what it paid at this bar.

An orange flame means the jackpot has climbed into the part of its range where hits have landed before. A purple flame marks a signal not yet proven at this bar: similar machines at other bars, or targets other agents have set, point to it. AT MAX means the display itself shows the jackpot has reached its cap.

A number out of 10, shown under Network Intel on each level and beside each level on Hotspots. It tells you how solid the hit range is: higher means more history behind it. It is not the odds of a hit today.

Under Location Intel, At recorded pace gives the dates when this jackpot would reach its usual hit range if it keeps climbing the way agents have recorded. It describes the meter, not a hit. Without dates, Recorded range says where the amount sits, from Mid range up to Near recorded top and At recorded top. Never a promise: gambling outcomes are random.

Hot means the jackpot is inside the range where it has paid before. The machines are random: a jackpot can hit anywhere in that range, and sometimes outside it. The app tells you where a jackpot stands in its own history. It cannot tell you what the machine will do in the next hour.

Amounts are as of the last reading anyone took. If the display in front of you says otherwise, snap it or type it in. Your reading updates the machine for everyone.

Two views on the Hotspots screen. Crowd Watch lists the hottest jackpots at bars near you, closest bar first. Recent Hits is a feed of jackpots that recently paid out, with the last amount read before each drop and where it reset, so you can see what actually hits and how often.

The amount you want to hear about on a level. Open Location Intel under any level and set it. With Hit alerts on in Settings, the app notifies you when the jackpot reaches your number, and when it hits. Hotspots shows what the crowd's targets point to only after you set your own, so nobody copies the room.

Because they are different machines, each with its own meter, readings and hits. Two machines that look alike can still behave differently, so the app reads each one on its own and compares it with similar machines across the network.

JackpotSpy is coming soon to the App Store and Google Play, for iPhone and Android. The download links go up on jackpotspy.ai the day it is live.

Through the App Store or Google Play, like any other app. The Field Updates page says what changed in each one.