For many years, Fantasy Cares has tried to make charity leagues and tournaments a thing. We have tried to get people to add charitable elements to their leagues.
We are finally at a point that is happening all around. However, there are definitely bad apples out there exploiting this.
We want to not just further the message, but also highlight some green and red flags of charity tournaments and leagues out there.
We will note them on this page and hopefully this becomes a go to page for people wondering if a Charity Tournament is legit or at least doing several things right. Most of them are well intentioned, good hearted, and mean well. That doesn't mean they are doing things by the book. If they know that and still don't, it's something to be concerned about.
These are things to look for when deciding if a charity tournament is being run correctly or if it is legitimate.
+ The tournament or league doesn't require donation/entry fees - Charities can't do this in the US, UK, and many countries. Non-charities need registration and licensing in the US. They need a gambling license in the UK and many other countries. Once licensed, they can't allow US and international players to mix. So if it requires a donation / entry, you know it isn't operating correctly. A required donation/entry fee is the biggest red flag a charity tournament can have. Even if operating this way for many years, if they are willing to skirt the laws, what else are they willing to do. SFB would love to require $100 fee from 5,000 players and raise $500k for charity, but it's illegal.
+ The donation is made directly to a registered charity or to a site required to send to registered charity - If a charity tournament or league do require the entry fee / donation, this is one way to still feel more comfortable about it. Despite not doing everything by the book... at least you know the money is going to the right place.
- Requires Donation/Entry Fees
- Donations to Paypal or Venmo - it's against Paypal and Venmo terms of service. They can freeze and take the money. It's also the number one method of scams.
- There are cash payouts - This isn't allowed for charities or unlicensed operations, similar to requirement of donation/entry.
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