Struggling to pay for tuition, two college students came up with a way to play their bills away.
Dimitri Sillam and Mikhael Naayem’s website Grantoo, a free social gaming website where students play games and win money for college, launched at UF on Sunday.
By May 15, any student with an email address ending in .edu will be able to register on Grantoo. On the site, students can enter gaming tournaments to win money. They must donate at least 10 percent of their winnings to a charity.
“Grantoo believes that involving students in charitable giving will encourage lifelong generosity and social awareness,” said Grantoo marketing guru Sally Kallet.
Grants and prizes are provided by corporate sponsorships and local businesses, one of which is Grooveshark, Kallet said.
The amount of each grant is determined by each sponsor’s donation and the number of students playing in the tournament.
The minimum sponsor donation is $5,000. Sponsors choose how the money will be divided, so more than one student and charity can benefit.
Students can also play games without registering for tournaments and win coupons or product samples, such as free slices of pizza or T-shirts from local businesses.
There is no limit to how much money a student can win. However, if the same students keep winning, Grantoo will intervene so others have a chance to win, Kallet said.
Currently, the website offers three games: Quiz Night, a trivia game; Wordy Bird, a crossword game; and Grantoo Hold ‘Em, a poker game. More games are being developed.
