Hi everyone, and thank you for raising these valid concerns.
For some additional context—especially for those of you newer to SportsGamer (formerly NHLGamer)—we’ve proudly paid out over 300 000 € in prize money since 2015, either directly or through our partners. Taking care of our commitments to the community is something we’ve always taken seriously.
That said, we fully acknowledge that in recent times, some payments have been delayed, and in a few cases, significantly longer than we would ever want. We’ve communicated directly with the impacted individuals regarding timelines, but we understand this affects trust across the board. For that, we apologize.
Why are payments delayed?
The biggest factor relates to discussions with tax authorities regarding the correct license tax rate during the last three years. Here’s the practical impact:
Players have been billed at 10%, but tax authorities have collected 24%, and now 25,5% (the VAT was raised in Finland from 24 -> 25,5% in September 2024).
This discrepancy has resulted in a significant shortfall in our budget for prize payments and operations.
On top of this, the global financial climate has made sponsorships and partnerships harder to secure, adding additional strain on our timelines.
What are we doing about it?
This situation is not acceptable, and we’re taking steps internally to address it:
We’re working towards clearing the backlog of delayed payments.
We’re reassessing processes to prevent this from happening again.
We’re committed to open communication—even when the news isn’t ideal.
It’s important to stress: Every winner will be paid. We’ve never left payments unpaid, and that will not change.
We want to be transparent: while we are working hard to resolve the current issues, some delays may continue in the short term. However, it’s important to emphasize that we have always honored our prize commitments, and every player who has earned prize money will be paid—no exceptions. That’s a promise we stand by.
On the 90-day rule
I hear the suggestion to remove or revise the 90-day payout rule. You’re right—we haven’t consistently met that target recently. But the 90-day commitment remains our goal, and we include it in our rulebook to hold ourselves accountable. Removing it might make things easier for us, but we believe it would only weaken your position as our community.
On registration deadlines
The Super Early Bird (SEB), Early Bird (EB), and Regular registration phases serve a few key purposes, including:
Encourage teams to engage earlier, which helps us plan the season better/earlier.
Offer teams better value for committing early.
Give our staff time to process registrations and licenses more evenly, rather than scrambling at the last minute.
We understand that early deadlines can feel stressful. Our goal is to balance accessibility with sustainability, so the league can continue to grow and provide opportunities for everyone.
In closing, we appreciate everyone who has raised concerns—whether here or in private conversations. These discussions help us improve. We ask for your continued patience as we navigate this situation, and we promise to keep communicating openly along the way.
Kind regards,
Kenneth