Privacy Policy — DFS Gate

1. Who We Are

DFS Gate ("DFS Gate," "we," "us," or "our") is a private pool management service that allows groups of friends or colleagues to run winner-take-all DFS contests on top of free FanDuel private contests. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by FanDuel.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information about you when you use the DFS Gate website at dfsgate.com and any related services (collectively, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information as described here.

Questions about this policy? Contact us at admin@dfsgate.com.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

Information you provide directly:

Identity information — your name (first and last) and a display name or nickname
Contact information — email address and mobile phone number
Venmo username — used solely to generate pre-filled Venmo payment links and to identify incoming payments
Pool participation data — the games you enter, payment memo codes assigned to you, payment status, contest entry results, and finish positions

Information collected automatically:

Server logs — IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps when you access the Service
Session data — authentication tokens stored in your browser session to keep you logged in to your member portal

We do not collect credit card numbers, bank account details, or any other financial account information. Payments between members are made directly via Venmo (peer-to-peer); DFS Gate does not process or hold funds.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Operate the Service — create and manage your member account, track your pool entries, and confirm your payment status
Deliver contest access — send you your FanDuel private contest invite link once payment is confirmed
Send notifications — email and SMS alerts about game openings, payment confirmations, and contest results
Prevent fraud and ensure pool integrity — verify that payments match the correct pool entry and detect misuse of invite codes
Improve the Service — analyze usage patterns (in aggregate) to make DFS Gate work better
Comply with legal obligations — retain records as required by applicable law

We do not use your information to serve you advertising, sell you products, or share your data with marketing partners.

4. How Payments Work

        DFS Gate does not process payments. Pool entry fees are paid
        directly from one member to another via Venmo (a peer-to-peer payment app operated
        by PayPal). DFS Gate only receives a Venmo email notification confirming that a payment
        was made with the correct memo code. We never see your Venmo password, balance, or
        bank account details.
      

Your use of Venmo is governed by Venmo's own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. DFS Gate is not responsible for Venmo's data practices.

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal information. We share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers — we use SendGrid (email delivery) and Twilio (SMS delivery) to send you notifications. These providers process your email address and phone number solely to deliver messages on our behalf and are contractually prohibited from using your data for other purposes.
Within your pool — your display name and contest results are visible to other members of the same pool on the leaderboard. Your contact information (email, phone) is not shared with other pool members.
Legal requirements — we may disclose your information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request; to enforce our terms; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of DFS Gate, our users, or others.
Business transfers — if DFS Gate is acquired by or merged with another organization, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the Service. If you request account deletion, we will delete your personal information within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal, accounting, or dispute-resolution purposes.

Server logs and aggregated usage data may be retained for up to 12 months for security and performance monitoring.

7. Security

We use industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), hashed passwords, and access-restricted server infrastructure hosted on Fly.io in the United States.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You are responsible for keeping any access links or credentials we provide you confidential.

8. Your Rights and Choices

You have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

Access — you may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
Correction — you may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Deletion — you may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our retention obligations
Opt out of notifications — you may ask us to stop sending you email or SMS notifications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in any email we send

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@dfsgate.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is not directed to anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If we become aware that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, we will delete it promptly. If you believe a minor has provided us with their information, please contact us at admin@dfsgate.com.

10. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites or services, including FanDuel and Venmo. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing them with any personal information.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and notify active members by email. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: admin@dfsgate.com