Questions & Answers

Straight answers — including the fine print.

How do I deposit?

You'll need two things in a self-custody wallet (MetaMask, the Base app, Rainbow, Trust Wallet…): USDC on the Base network to deposit (whole dollars only — each $1 is one entry), and a small amount of ETH on Base (about a cent) to pay the network fee. Both must be on Base. Then pick whichever setup matches you:

Three things trip almost everyone up:
1. The regular Coinbase app is not a wallet you can deposit from. That app is the exchange — it has no dApp browser and can't connect here. You need the separate Base app (Coinbase's self-custody wallet, formerly called “Coinbase Wallet”), or MetaMask, or another self-custody wallet.
2. Your USDC must be on the Base network. USDC sitting on Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, or inside a Coinbase exchange account will give an error until you move it to Base (steps below).
3. You also need a little ETH on Base for the network fee. Every deposit costs a tiny gas fee (about a cent) paid in ETH on Base — ETH on Ethereum mainnet or in a Coinbase account won't count. Send a small amount of ETH on the Base network to the same wallet.

💻 On a computer (browser extension)

• Install the MetaMask or Coinbase Wallet browser extension and put some USDC (on Base) in it.
• On this site, press Make a Deposit, choose your wallet when prompted, and approve the connection in the extension.
• If asked, approve switching your wallet to the Base network (one click — we suggest it automatically).
• Enter a whole-dollar amount and press Deposit USDC. Your wallet will ask you to confirm up to two transactions: first a spending-cap approval for exactly the amount you typed, then the deposit itself.
• Done — your balance and your odds appear on the page, and you can withdraw any time.

📱 On a phone — inside your wallet app

• Open your wallet app — MetaMask, the Base app, Rainbow… — and find its built-in browser tab.
• Coinbase users, note: the regular Coinbase app has no browser and can't connect here. You want the Base app — Coinbase's separate self-custody wallet (it used to be called “Coinbase Wallet”). Download it, move your USDC there on the Base network, and use its browser.
• Type charitybillionaire.com into that in-app browser.
• Press Make a Deposit — the app is the wallet, so it connects directly. Then deposit exactly as on desktop.

📱 On a phone — from Safari or Chrome

• Press Make a Deposit, then pick your wallet:
• Coinbase Wallet / Base app → tap the “Coinbase Wallet” button. It opens your Base app (formerly Coinbase Wallet) to approve, then returns you here to deposit. (This is the self-custody wallet app — not the regular Coinbase exchange app, which can't connect.)
• MetaMask, Rainbow, or Trust → tap “Other wallet app on this phone.” Your wallet app opens and asks you to approve the connection.
• Approve, switch back to the browser, and complete the deposit. (On a computer you'll see a QR code instead — scan it with your phone's wallet app.)

⚠️ Can I just send USDC straight to the contract address?

No — never do this. A plain transfer to the contract (or any address you see on this site) is not a deposit: it records no balance and no entry, and by the contract's own non-custodial design it cannot be recovered by anyone — including us. The money would be permanently lost. Deposits only count when made through the Make a Deposit flow on this site, which calls the contract's deposit() function and records your balance and your odds.

How do entries work? Can I deposit $1.50?

Whole dollars only. Every whole dollar you deposit is one equal entry in every weekly draw while it stays deposited: $1 is one entry, $2 is two entries, $100 is one hundred entries. The deposit form does not accept cents — a $1.50 deposit isn't possible through the site, because fractions of a dollar don't buy an extra entry. Your odds are exactly proportional to your whole-dollar deposit, verifiable on-chain.

Is this a scam? It sounds too good to be true.

Fair question — here's the catch, and it's a small one: you give up the interest your deposit would have earned. That forgone interest is what funds the weekly prize and the charity gift. You keep every dollar you put in and can withdraw any time. Everything is on-chain and public — the code, every prize, and every charity gift are all verifiable by anyone.

How can I not lose money? Where does the prize come from?

Your deposit is never spent. It sits in a major on-chain lending protocol (Aave) and earns interest. Only the pool's interest is ever paid out — 90% to one winner, 5% to charity, 5% to the platform. Your deposit stays whole and stays yours.

Is this gambling or a lottery?

No. A lottery requires paying for a ticket you can lose. Here you pay nothing and lose nothing — your deposit is fully refundable, so there is no wager. It's closer to a prize-linked draw (think UK Premium Bonds): your deposit stays yours, and the pool's interest becomes a prize.

How is the winner chosen?

By Chainlink VRF — cryptographic, provably fair randomness, verifiable on-chain. Every whole dollar deposited is one equal chance. Nobody can rig it, including us. (The founder's own deposits are excluded from winning, permanently, in the contract itself.)

Who holds my money?

A non-custodial smart contract on Base, which supplies it to Aave to earn the interest. No person or company holds it or can move it — the code only lets you withdraw your balance. The contract's source is verified on Basescan.

What does the charity get?

5% of the pool's interest each week, delivered on-chain through Endaoment (a 501(c)(3) donor-advised fund) to a vetted nonprofit that rotates weekly and is announced before each draw.

What are the real risks?

The draw itself can never take your deposit — you can always withdraw it. The residual risks are the same as any on-chain application: a smart-contract bug (our source is verified and non-custodial), or a serious failure in the underlying Aave protocol where deposits earn. These are DeFi-wide risks, not specific to us. Deposit only what you're comfortable holding in a smart contract.

Why is the prize small right now?

The prize is funded by the pool's interest, and the pool is young. As deposits grow, the weekly prize grows. Early depositors keep the same guarantee as everyone else — a fully refundable deposit.

How do I get USDC on Base?

Easiest: buy USDC on Coinbase and withdraw it to your self-custody wallet, choosing Base as the network (fast and free). From elsewhere, use any reputable bridge to move USDC to Base. Always double-check the network says Base before sending.

I have USDC, but I get “insufficient funds” or “error generating transaction.”

Almost always this means your USDC is on a different network — Ethereum, Solana, Polygon, or sitting in a Coinbase exchange account — while deposits here use USDC on Base. The token is the same dollar, but each network's balance is separate. Move your USDC to Base (see the question above) and it will work. The other cause: your wallet needs a tiny amount of ETH on Base (about a cent) to pay the network fee — send a little ETH on Base to the same wallet.

Are there any fees?

No fee to deposit or withdraw — you always get 100% of your deposit back (aside from the network's own tiny gas cost, typically under a cent on Base). The platform's only take is 5% of the pool's weekly interest — the same pot the prize and the charity gift come from.

What about taxes?

A prize may be taxable income where you live. See the Taxes page and consult a qualified professional for your situation. Nothing on this site is tax, legal, or financial advice.

Is it available where I live?

Availability may be restricted by jurisdiction, and sanctioned regions are blocked. If deposits are restricted where you are, any existing deposit always remains withdrawable directly from the contract. See the Terms of Use.