Who we are

Gameli is an online platform that connects players for casual sports and games and helps venues accept court bookings. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For questions, write to gamelihq@gmail.com.

What we collect

Account info: name, email, password (hashed), and the optional username, bio, and profile photo you choose to share.
Game activity: the games you host, join, cancel, or schedule, plus chat messages you send to other players.
Venue bookings: the venue, listing, date, time, and confirmation code for any court you reserve.
Location: with your permission, your approximate location (city, lat/lon) so we can show games and venues near you. You can revoke this at any time in your browser settings.
Payment info: when paying for a venue booking, your card details are entered directly into our payment provider's hosted checkout — we never see or store your full card number. We retain only the masked “last 4 digits” and transaction reference for your receipt.
Device + usage data: browser type, IP address (used for approximate location and security), and anonymised product analytics events (which screens you visit, which buttons you tap) so we can fix bugs and improve the product.

Why we collect it

To create and operate your account.
To match you with games and venues you actually want.
To send you notifications about games you host or join (in-app, and OS push when you grant permission).
To process venue bookings and remit payment to the venue.
To enforce our Terms of Service and prevent abuse (e.g. our strike system for repeated no-shows).
To respond to support requests.
To comply with legal obligations.

Who we share it with

We share your data only with the processors that make Gameli work, and only the minimum each one needs:

Supabase — database + authentication hosting.
Vercel — application hosting.
Paystack — payment processing for venue bookings.
Google Maps Platform — venue search and place lookups.
HERE — reverse-geocoding device coordinates into city names.
Resend — transactional email (account confirmations, password resets, support ticket replies).
PostHog — anonymised product analytics.

We do not sell your personal information to advertisers or data brokers.

Your analytics choice

We use privacy-friendly product analytics (PostHog) to learn which features people use — never to sell or share your data, and never tied to your IP address. Visitors in the EU, UK, and EEA are asked to opt in before any analytics cookie is set; elsewhere it's on by default and you can switch it off here at any time. This control works whether or not you're signed in.

How long we keep it

Account data is retained for as long as your account is active. When you delete your account from your Profile page, we remove your name, profile photo, bio, and personal details within a few days. Past games and bookings stay in other users' history as “Deleted user” so their records aren't broken — but with no way to identify you. Payment records and transaction logs are retained for the period required by tax and anti-fraud laws (typically 5 years in South Africa).

Your rights

Under POPIA and GDPR, you have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you.
Correct inaccurate information (you can edit most fields directly in your profile).
Request deletion of your account (Profile → Delete account).
Object to processing or restrict how we use your data.
Receive a copy of your data in a portable format.
Lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator or your local data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, email gamelihq@gmail.com.

Security

Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text. Connections between your device and Gameli use HTTPS. Row-level security ensures users can only read their own private data. No system is perfect — if you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately so we can disable it.

Minimum age

Gameli is intended for users aged 18 and older. The platform involves contracting with venues, processing payments, and meeting other adults in person — all of which require contractual capacity that minors don't legally have under South African law. If you believe someone under 18 has created an account, email us at gamelihq@gmail.com and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Gameli evolves. When we make material changes, we'll notify active users by email and update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Continued use after a change means you accept the updated terms.

Contact

Questions? Concerns? Reach out to gamelihq@gmail.com. For South African users, you can also contact the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za.