THE HUMANITY BET

Terms of Use

1. Scope

These Terms of Use apply to the use of the website "THE HUMANITY BET" (the "Platform"), operated by Marc Baumann (see Legal Notice). By using the Platform — in particular by accepting the bet, submitting a project suggestion, or voting on suggestions — you accept these terms.

2. What "The Humanity Bet" Is — and Is Not

THE HUMANITY BET is a social experiment built around a symbolic question: whether people around the world can together raise around 83 million US dollars for children's projects if, in theory, every person contributes just one cent. The title "Bet" is meant figuratively and describes this open, uncertain question — it is explicitly not a bet, a game of chance, or a lottery in the legal sense. There is no stake wagered against a chance of winning, no consideration, and no payout to participants. A contribution is a voluntary, one-sided gift with no legal claim to any consideration, comparable to a donation.

The unit "HUMAN" used on the Platform (one cent = one "HUMAN") is a symbolic counting concept for this experiment. It is not a real stand-in for people — a contribution of $100 does not mean you represent, or act on behalf of, 10,000 real people.

3. Participation Requirements

Participation is generally open to any natural person who has legal capacity under the law applicable to them, or who acts with the consent of their legal guardian. Payments are additionally subject to the terms of the respective payment provider, including any age restrictions.

4. Payments

Real payments are processed via external payment providers (Stripe and PayPal); their own terms of use apply in addition. Contributions are voluntary gifts with no claim to any consideration. A statutory right of withdrawal under distance-selling law generally does not apply to gratuitous gifts of this kind. Contributions are, as a general rule and without exception, non-refundable, including in the case of an accidental duplicate payment. Contributions are generally not to be understood as tax-deductible donations unless expressly stated otherwise here and supported by an appropriate receipt.

5. Project Suggestions

A project can only be suggested by someone who has personally contributed at least $10 — and only once per donor. This is meant to prevent the Platform from being overwhelmed by a flood of suggestions that can barely be reviewed.

Anyone suggesting a project affirms that the information provided is truthful to the best of their knowledge, and grants the Platform the right to publicly display the suggestion (text as well as any organization/website provided) as part of the campaign, to moderate it, and to edit it for length. There is no entitlement to have a submitted project accepted, publicly listed, selected, or actually funded. We reserve the right to reject or remove suggestions without giving reasons, in particular in the case of unlawful, misleading, or evidently fabricated content.

To support review, a VAT identification number and/or an official registration number (e.g. an association or commercial register number) of the organization behind the project may optionally be provided at submission. This information is not mandatory and is not displayed publicly.

6. Voting

Voting requires a personal voting code linked to your participation. Your voting budget equals the number of "HUMAN" units you've contributed; you can freely allocate and reallocate these votes across project suggestions at any time. The voting result mainly serves to gauge which project suggestions the community considers especially worth supporting, and is otherwise non-binding — there is no entitlement to any particular selection process or outcome.

An exception applies to the first 10 verified projects to reach 100,000 votes: at that moment, exactly 100,000 votes are permanently frozen for that project (pro-rated if overshot) and trigger a $1,000 donation. The freeze alone doesn't automatically trigger a payout — we personally confirm each of these donations once it's actually being transferred; frozen votes can also be released again if a project doesn't end up receiving the donation after all. Further details can be found in the Privacy Policy.

We reserve the right to clean up obviously manipulated votes (e.g. through automated multiple voting).

7. Prohibited Content and Conduct

  • unlawful, defamatory, discriminatory, or content harmful to minors,
  • knowingly false statements about projects, organizations, or one's own identity,
  • spam, automated mass submissions, or attempts to technically manipulate counters or votes,
  • unauthorized claims of a partnership with real organizations (e.g. UNICEF) or individuals.

In the event of violations, contributions, suggestions, or accounts may be removed or blocked without prior notice.

8. Project Review and Use of Unallocated Funds

A complete review of every single submitted project cannot realistically be guaranteed. We make every effort to verify as many suggested projects as possible, prioritizing projects that have received at least 0.1% of all votes cast at the relevant time — below that, the necessary diligence generally cannot be applied. There is no liability and no guarantee that a project named or listed on the Platform will actually receive a payout.

Should we fail to pay out the entire amount intended for children's projects to verified projects as planned, the remaining amount will be forwarded in equal parts to the following established, independent organizations: UNICEF, Save the Children, World Vision, and SOS Children's Villages.

9. No Promise of Success

THE HUMANITY BET is explicitly designed as an open experiment. There is no guarantee that the $83 million goal will be reached, that any particular project will be funded, or that suggested children's projects actually exist or can be implemented — every suggestion goes through a review before funding is even considered.

10. Liability

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, as well as under the Product Liability Act. For slight negligence, we are liable only for breaches of material contractual obligations (cardinal obligations), and limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract at the time it was concluded. Liability for slightly negligent breaches of duty is otherwise excluded.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may amend these Terms of Use with effect for the future, for example if the Platform's functionality changes (e.g. real payments are enabled). The version currently in effect is available on this page.

12. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, unless mandatory consumer-protection provisions of your habitual place of residence provide otherwise.

13. Severability

Should individual provisions of these Terms of Use be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected.

  • Last updated: September 6, 2026.