Blog · Guide
Free football pools with friends
June 29, 2026 · 7 min read
The thrill of the grid and the combo, but free, with your mates, without ever pulling out a card. That’s the Loto Bobi.
The football pool, that thrill we love
Filling in a Loto Foot grid is a little French ritual. You tick your 1 · X · 2 on a slip, you dream of the combo that turns one euro into a jackpot, and you wait for Sunday-night scores like a kid waiting for Christmas. France’s FDJ built a generational brand on it: around 30,000 retail points and jackpots climbing into the millions of euros. Honestly, the concept is great — ticking a grid and holding a combo to the final whistle is a classic for a reason.
The catch is what comes with it: you have to pull out your card, it’s adults only, and you play alone against the anonymous crowd. Your work mate never sees your grid. Your brother can’t roast you live. And by Tuesday all that’s left is a crumpled slip in your pocket.
Let’s be clear: real-money pools are serious and legal
Let’s set this straight. FDJ’s Loto Foot and online bookmaker bets are perfectly legal in France, regulated by the ANJ, restricted to adults and framed by responsible gambling. They’re serious products, done by the book, and we’ve got nothing against them. Pronosoft, the long-running bettors’ portal, has genuinely served its community for 20 years.
Bobibets isn’t that. Bobibets is a prediction game played with virtual points: you bet, but with points — the bobis — not your money. We don’t deny the word “betting”: there are real odds, stakes and payouts. It’s just that no real euro is ever on the line. It’s the thrill of the grid, without the bill and without the risk.
The Loto Bobi: the same grid, zero euros
The Loto Bobi is our home-grown take on the football-pool grid: your league’s consensus ticket. Instead of ticking alone, your league ticks together, and the app aggregates everyone’s picks into one collective grid. Here’s how it works, no jargon:
1 bobi per match
On every match of the day, you tick 1 · X · 2 and stake 1 bobi, a fixed amount. No complicated stake maths: one match, one bobi, one pick. Exactly the spirit of a Loto Foot grid, but in virtual points.
Every correct match pays its odds
Here’s the clever bit: every box you tick carries a real bookmaker odd, locked the moment you bet. A correct match pays you its odds. Your total payout = the sum of the odds of the matches you read right. Calling the 4.50 underdog and nailing it weighs far more than calling the 1.20 favourite.
The combined odd: your boldness gauge
The app shows a combined odd = the geometric mean of your ticket’s odds. Careful: it’s not a jackpot multiplier. It’s a boldness gauge: the higher it is, the more daring your ticket. No fantasy jackpot, just an honest scoring — every correct match pays its odds, full stop.
And since everyone has already clicked too fast on a Sunday morning, your pick (choice AND stake) stays editable up to 5 minutes before kickoff — for free. The full breakdown is on the how-it-works page.
FDJ Loto Foot, Pronosoft, Loto Bobi: who’s for what
None is “the wrong one”. It all depends on what you’re after — and on whether you want to pull out a card.
| Criterion | FDJ Loto Foot | Pronosoft | Loto Bobi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free? | No — ~€1/grid | Freemium + affiliation | Yes, ad-free |
| Real money? | Yes, 18+, ANJ-regulated | Points toward real money | No — virtual points (bobis) |
| Real odds? | Yes (pari-mutuel) | Yes (bettor analysis) | Yes, locked at bet time |
| With friends? | No — the anonymous crowd | Forum, no private league | Yes, private league + banter |
| For whom? | Adults, financial thrill | Seasoned bettors | Mates, office, family — zero risk |
In short: want the real jackpot and you’re an adult? FDJ Loto Foot, played responsibly. Just want the thrill of the grid and the banter with your mates, without risking a cent? Loto Bobi.
Launch your Loto Bobi in 3 steps
- Create your league in 1 minute and invite your mates by code or link. No card, no deposit.
- Tick the day together: everyone places their 1 · X · 2, 1 bobi per match. The app aggregates it all into a consensus grid.
- Follow the scores live, bank the odds of the correct matches, and meet at the Wall of Fame (or the Wall of Shame) on Monday morning.
Want to dig deeper into playing without staking a euro? We wrote a whole guide: betting without money, the guide to virtual betting with friends.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Loto Bobi really free?
Yes. You play with bobis, virtual points — never with your money. Bobibets is free up to 2 active leagues, ad-free. The Légende subscription unlocks the rest, but the Loto Bobi itself costs you nothing.
Is it like FDJ’s Loto Foot?
The spirit of the grid and the combo, yes. The difference: zero real money, it’s with friends in your league, and you can edit your ticket up to 5 minutes before kickoff. FDJ’s Loto Foot plays with real euros (18+, ANJ-regulated) against the anonymous crowd.
How is the payout calculated?
Every correct match pays its bookmaker odd, locked the moment you bet. Your payout = the sum of the odds of the matches you read right. The displayed combined odd (geometric mean) is only a boldness gauge, not a jackpot multiplier.
Do I have to be an adult?
The Loto Bobi is a prediction game played with virtual points, with no real money at stake — which is exactly what makes it safe for the office, the family and your mates. Real-money betting, by contrast, stays restricted to adults.
Ready to tick your free grid?
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