What counts as activity, and what does not
A timeout is only as long as its definition of activity allows. This page takes the list apart, because the difference between an account that stays open and one that closes on you is usually on this list rather than in the timeout.
- candidates
- 8
- counted
- 3
- not counted
- 5
- effect
- the clock keeps running
Counted activity is normally an action rather than a sight: a click inside the account, a page load, or text typed into a field. Scrolling, watching a stream, a bet settling in the background, an email arriving and a betslip left untouched are normally not counted. On the samples three of eight candidates reset the idle clock.
Eight candidates, three counted
The list is published in the rules, which is what makes it checkable rather than guessable. Sample B is one invented document listing eight candidate events.
| Event | Counted | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| clicking anywhere inside the account | yes | restarts the idle clock |
| loading an account page | yes | restarts the idle clock |
| typing an amount into a stake field | yes | restarts the idle clock |
| scrolling a page | no | the screen moves, the clock does not |
| a stream playing in a tab | no | the account is in use and the clock disagrees |
| a bet settling in the background | no | the balance changes without an action |
| an email arriving | no | not an action in the account at all |
| a betslip left untouched | no | the slip is not a commitment and not an action |
| 8 candidates | 3 counted | 5 invisible to the clock |
Why the list is the useful half of the setting
Two readers with the same 30-minute timeout can have very different sessions, because one of them clicks and the other only watches. The published list is what tells them apart, and it is usually one line in the terms rather than a page. The same list also explains the two things people most often report as faults: a session that closed while the account was clearly open and busy, and a session that stayed open long after the person had stopped looking at it - which is what the long clock on the next page is for.
- Read the activity list in the terms, not just the timeout value: it decides whether the timeout is ever reached.
- Make an actual action - a click or a page load - if you want the clock to restart; scrolling will not do it.
- Do not rely on a stream or a live market to keep a session alive; on the samples neither is counted.
- Remember a settling bet changes your balance without being an action, so a balance movement is not proof the session was alive.
- If the account must stay open while you do something else, expect to come back and click rather than to be kept in.