How does payment work as a Game Master?
We make it easy to get you paid!
We use Stripe to process payments to you, the Game Master, and from players booking games. Stripe is one of the most secure payment gateways on the internet.
Once you have signed up for an account and filled out your profile, you need to set up a Payouts Account.
How much are GMs paid, and how do payouts work?
All GMs on the site get to set their own rates and schedules. StartPlaying takes 10% of the bookings on the site. Once you have set up your Payouts account, you can deposit your balance directly to your bank account. It takes around 2-3 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) for it to show up in your bank account. If you are an international GM (outside the U.S.), it can take 7-11 business days. If it is your first payout ever, it takes around 5-7 business days.
When will your players be charged?
Players are automatically charged one hour after the start of the session. If you need to cancel your session, make sure you do so before then, or your players will be charged.
24 hours after players are charged, you will see payment arrive in your payout account.
My Players Payment Failed; now what?
This often happens when a player's card declines the transaction. This can happen for several reasons: The bank doesn't recognize the charge, insufficient funds, expired card, etc.
When this happens, we note the failed payment in your Payouts dashboard under Transaction History. We also send an email to the player prompting them to update their payment info for the failed session.
Players can use the link in the email or navigate to the Payment section of their Account Settings dashboard to update their payment method. Once a player updates their payment method, all failed transactions will automatically charge to their new card.
You can send your players this help document so they can update their payment methods.
If a payment fails from a player in one of your games, reach out to the player to let them know to update it. If the player ghosts you and you do not get a response, you can report them by emailing support@startplayinggames.com and giving us as much information as possible about the situation.
Our team will then begin investigating it, and if we determine that the player has been defrauding you or other GMs on the site, we will cover the cost of the session that they failed to pay you for.
We will only cover the cost of one session. If you allow the player to stay in the game and they continue to accrue debt, we will not cover those costs. It is your responsibility to notify us as soon as possible so we can fix the situation.