Blizzard has introduced new Tournament Guidelines for SC2 tournaments below $10,000 prize money. Most important changes are a forced use of TwitchTV and the ban of raffles.
In an update of the Tournament Guidelines, Blizzard has added some regulations concerning smaller tournaments. Larger tournaments above $10,000 are subject to Blizzard's licensing policy for which individual rules apply. For the small tournaments, however, a new rule says that TwitchTV is the only allowed streaming service supplier. Competitors like Dailymotion, YouTube, Azubu or until last year Own3D would not be allowed according to Blizzard's guidelines.
The small tournaments may also not be sponsored by companies affiliated with i.e. alcohol or gambling. Possibly the gravest regulation affects raffles. Raffles are a popular extra service provided within the offer made to possible sponsorships for many tournament organizers. However, if Blizzard's new Tournament Guidelines are taken into action, any gambling, including raffles would be forbidden for smaller SC2 tournaments.
Excerpt from the new Blizzard Tournament Guidelines for tournaments below $10,000 prize money:
Total prize money, travel stipends and item rewards valued less than Ten Thousand US Dollars ($10,000 USD) or the equivalent;
Should the tournament organizer wish to broadcast the tournament online, the tournament must be broadcast on Twitch;
Tournament organizer must follow the Blizzard Entertainment Video Policy;
The tournament must not be broadcast on television;
The tournament organizer may not charge fees of any kind for spectators to watch the tournament;
Any use of Blizzard’s logos or trademarks to promote the tournament must comply with the Blizzard Entertainment Trademark Usage Guidelines;
The tournament cannot be sponsored that sell or promote any of the following products:
- Pornography (or extremely mature materials);
- Alcohol
- Tobacco or cigarettes
- Firearms;
- Gambling websites; or
- Any company that is detrimental to Blizzard’s business (hacking, gold services, account selling, key sellers)
The tournament must comply with all applicable laws and regulations;
The rules for the tournament should promote a fun and engaging experience for the players, with skill in playing the Game being the factor that determines who will win or lose a match in the Tournament;
Gambling, including raffles, cannot not be associated with a tournament;
Professional team tournament organizers who recruit professional eSports players to participate in a tournament must submit their tournament to Blizzard for approval.
Source: Blizzard
