1v1Me vs LCKD. Back a pro, or play the match yourself.

1v1Me started as a money-match app and now calls itself an “Esports Staking Marketplace”: you put money behind a pro in a match it schedules and referees, and share in the prize if that player wins. Its comparison page puts it plainly: “Players Lounge and Gamer Saloon are for gamers who want to compete themselves. 1v1Me is for fans who want to watch pro matches and back the players they believe in.” LCKD is the other kind. You are the player, your opponent is another player, and the money in the pot is the two stakes.

Not as a regular user, by 1v1Me's own account. Its Terms describe an app that “connects esports professionals with fans/backers to sponsor the professionals' entry fees in exchange for a share of the potential prize”, and its comparison page answers the question directly: “Pick Players Lounge or Gamer Saloon if you want to play games yourself for money.” The same page says “1v1Me hosts every match: scheduled time slots, vetted pro players, dedicated refs, and live streams.” Who gets to play is 1v1Me's call: “We retain sole discretion in determining eligible players, games, and event rules.”

That is the real choice between the two. On 1v1Me the outcome is in someone else's hands; on LCKD it is in yours. Both stakes on an LCKD match are held in escrow until the result is in, and how a match works walks through it step by step.

1v1Me's Terms, updated January 13, 2025, say: “To cover the cost of Staked Event administration, we will assess a 10% upfront fee on any payment made by a backer/supporter.” and “We may also assess additional overage fees if a particular event exceeds 100% entry fee staking.” Their own example: “if the entry fee is $90, and a backer/supporter contributes $10, $9 ($10 less 10% organizational fee) is applied towards the entry fee.” If your player wins, “If a player or team you have backed wins a prize, you will receive a payout proportional to your stake, less applicable fees.” The overage fees have no published price, and the prize is set by 1v1Me for each event.

LCKD's 10% comes out of the pot of a match you play, with nothing added before or after. A $10.00 stake each makes a $20.00 pot; LCKD keeps $2.00 and the winner receives $18.00. Same percentage as 1v1Me, different base, so we do not turn the two into one dollar comparison. Every stake is worked out on the pricing page.

1v1Me's App Store listing says “Instant deposits & withdrawals”. Its Terms add two conditions: deposited money not used for entry fees “may be withdrawn upon request provided that you have interacted with and sponsored at least one (1) competition”, which the Terms call a play-through requirement, and withdrawals pass a verification and due diligence check. Accounts with no activity for 18 months are charged $4.00 a month.

LCKD has a play-through too: its Terms let a deposit be withdrawn once it has been staked in settled matches, and winnings can always be withdrawn. Payouts go by PayPal or MercadoPago with no withdrawal fee, from a $10 minimum. Withdrawals are approved by hand after a security check: over the last 90 days, half were approved within about 6 hours and 9 in 10 within 24 hours (33 approved withdrawals to September 12, 2026), and identity verification can add time.

1v1Me's Terms exclude five states: Arizona, Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina and South Dakota. LCKD's Terms exclude four: Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Washington. Both exclude Montana. LCKD's Terms are open to players in Arizona, Louisiana, South Carolina and South Dakota, and 1v1Me's to players in Idaho, Nevada and Washington. Both require users to be 18 or older.

Both lists are business decisions, not rulings on the law where you live. What state laws actually say, with sources, is in is playing video games for money legal?

Pick 1v1Me if you would rather watch than play: it covers seven games, including Call of Duty and fighting games LCKD does not, and its matches are refereed and streamed.

Pick LCKD if you play Madden, EA FC or NBA 2K and want the result to depend on how you play, with a fee you can work out before you accept: 10% of the pot, nothing on top. If you want to play your own matches and compare more sites, the others are side by side in Players' Lounge alternatives, and two of them head to head with LCKD in Players' Lounge vs LCKD and GamerSaloon vs LCKD.