Organizer Rulebook

Every organizer on Esports Lens agrees to these rules when they create a tournament. They keep listings honest, prizes paid and matches fair.

Region: International · Last updated: October 30, 2026

1. Your organizer account

One person or organization per organizer account. Do not share your login; add staff and referees from the tournament manage page instead.
Use your real organization or community name. Do not pose as another organizer, brand, game publisher or Esports Lens.
Organizers must be at least 13 years old. Organizers under 18 must run tournaments together with a named adult who is responsible for prizes and fees.
Keep your contact email working. Players and admins must be able to reach you until every prize is paid.
Admins may ask for government ID or company registration details before approving tournaments with a prize pool above US$250. This is kept private and only used for verification.

2. Honest tournament listings

Game, format, team size, schedule, entry fee and prize pool must be correct before registration opens.
Publish the tournament rulebook before registration opens. Players register under those rules.
Do not list fake, test or placeholder tournaments publicly. Keep them as drafts.
Banners, names and descriptions must not contain hate speech, adult content or misleading claims such as "official" partnerships you do not have.
Respect the game publisher's esports and tournament licence terms (for example prize caps or naming rules). Do not use publisher logos in a way that implies an official event unless you have permission.
Show all times with a clear time zone (UTC or the region's local zone). The site shows each player their own local time.
State which regions or servers can join (for example SEA, EU, NA) and any country restrictions.
Write the listing in English. You can add other languages, but the English version decides any dispute.

3. Player eligibility

Players must be at least 13 years old. You may set a higher minimum age (for example for age-rated games), but never lower.
State the minimum age, region and rank requirements in the rulebook before registration opens.
Players under 18 may only receive cash prizes through a parent or guardian.
Check player game IDs before the first match. Do not let banned or duplicate accounts play.
Follow the publisher's regional rules: a player must play on the server of the region they register for.
Do not accept players from countries under international sanctions where payouts would be illegal.

4. Prizes and payouts

Only advertise a prize you already have. If sponsors fund it, the money or a written commitment must exist before you list it.
Pay winners within 7 days of the final, by the method announced in the listing.
Keep proof of every payout (transaction ID or screenshot). Admins can ask for it at any time.
If a prize is delayed, tell the winners the reason and the new date before the 7 days run out.
Non-cash prizes (gear, in-game items, vouchers) must be described exactly, with their real value, and delivered within 30 days.
List prizes in US dollars or state the currency clearly (EUR, INR, etc.).
Pay by bank transfer, PayPal, Wise or another traceable method. State who pays transfer fees.
Winners are responsible for their own taxes. If your country requires tax withholding or forms, say so in the listing and ask for them before the final.

5. Entry fees and refunds

State the entry fee, payment method and refund policy in the listing.
If you cancel the tournament, refund every entry fee in full within 7 days.
Do not ask players for extra payments that were not in the listing.
The prize pool must not depend on gambling-style mechanics, such as paid "lucky" entries or random prize draws for paying players.
Collect fees only by traceable methods. Paid entry tournaments may be restricted in some countries; check that they are legal where you and your players are.

6. Changes after registration opens

Do not lower the prize pool, raise the entry fee or change the game after registration opens.
Schedule or format changes must be announced to all registered teams at least 24 hours in advance, except for emergencies such as server outages.
Approve or reject registrations by the same rules for every team, and give a reason when you reject one.

7. Fair play and neutrality

You and your staff may not play in, coach or bet on a tournament you run.
Seed and place teams by the method published in the rulebook, not by favour.
Report results honestly. Never edit a result without the match evidence to back it.
Cheating reports must be checked, not ignored. Remove a team only with evidence and a written reason.
Match fixing, result selling and deliberate losing are banned for organizers, staff and players. Report any you see to admins.

8. Matches, referees and disputes

Have a referee or staff member reachable during every match day.
Answer disputes within 24 hours and decide them from evidence (screenshots, replays, logs).
Platform admins can review any dispute. Their decision is final.
For tournaments across time zones, the referee on duty must cover the match times shown, not only your own working hours.

9. Player data

Use player emails, phone numbers and game IDs only to run your tournament.
Do not sell, publish or add player contacts to marketing lists without their consent.
Delete exported player data once the tournament and payouts are finished.
If players are in the EU or UK, GDPR applies: answer requests to see or delete their data within 30 days.
Do not move player data to tools or countries where you cannot keep it secure.

10. Sponsors and brand promotion

Do not promote betting, gambling or bidding sites, including casino, odds, prediction and "lucky draw" platforms, in any form.
Do not promote shops that sell game accounts, top-ups, diamonds, UC or items through unofficial or third-party sellers, or account boosting and rank-selling services.
Do not promote cheats, hacks, mod menus, scripts or any tool that breaks a game's terms of service.
Do not promote alcohol, tobacco, vapes, drugs, adult content, weapons, crypto or "investment" schemes.
This covers tournament names, banners, descriptions, streams, overlays, Discord messages and prize sponsorship.
Label paid sponsorships clearly as sponsored.
Allowed sponsors (gaming gear, internet providers, food, cafés, official publisher stores and similar) are fine. If you are unsure about one, ask us before you announce it.
Do not promote any product or service that is illegal in your country or your players' countries. Follow local advertising rules, including age limits.

11. Discord, streams and promotion

Use our Discord server for match voice channels and team roles. Link your account so the bot can give you the Organizer role automatically.
Promote your tournament without spam: no mass DMs, no flooding other servers or Facebook groups.
Only stream or record matches when players were told in the rulebook. Respect music and game copyright on streams.
Treat players, staff and other organizers with respect, in public and in private messages.

12. What happens if a rule is broken

First issue: a warning by email, with what to fix and by when.
Repeat or serious issue (unpaid prize, unrefunded fees, fake tournament, banned sponsor): the tournament is unlisted and organizer access is suspended.
Fraud or deliberately unpaid prizes: permanent removal, and we may share the details with affected players.
You can appeal any decision through the contact page within 14 days.
Fraud involving player money may be reported to the authorities in the countries involved.

Questions?

If a rule is unclear for your event, ask before you open registration.