Megapot, a decentralized lottery protocol, announced a partnership with Protocol Guild on Thursday to introduce what both organizations describe as the crypto industry’s first programmable charity lottery. The model directs 100% of referral fees from ticket sales directly to Ethereum core developers supported by Protocol Guild via smart contracts.
The partnership addresses a structural funding gap. Ethereum core developers earn significantly less than peers elsewhere in the industry, according to Megapot. Protocol Guild has distributed $38 million to Ethereum contributors since 2022, yet estimates that maintaining and scaling Ethereum requires $30 million to $60 million annually.
“Every token, NFT, or perps trade depends on the tireless work of Ethereum core developers,” Patrick Lung, CEO of Megapot, said in a statement. “Now, players don’t have to choose between speculation and contribution. They can do both.”
The lottery operates through a dedicated Protocol Guild portal where users purchase tickets for a daily draw. The prize pool has exceeded $1.1 million. Megapot’s programmable referral system removes administrative overhead and ensures proceeds are distributed transparently onchain, mirroring the structure of traditional charity lotteries such as the U.K. National Lottery while operating entirely on blockchain infrastructure.
Trent Van Epps, main organizer of Protocol Guild and a former Ethereum Foundation member, framed the integration as a response to mounting infrastructure pressures. “Getting consistent funding to Ethereum protocol stewards is a critical and growing challenge,” Van Epps said. “We’re excited to see how this novel Megapot integration will raise the bar on how apps can support the infra they depend on.”
Protocol Guild operates as an independent funding collective. The organization coordinates grants and donations to protocol contributors who maintain Ethereum’s consensus layer, execution layer, and supporting infrastructure. The Megapot partnership represents a new revenue stream for the collective, channeling speculative activity toward core development support.
The programmable charity model eliminates intermediaries in the donation pipeline. Smart contracts automatically direct referral fees to Protocol Guild’s multisig wallet, where distributions to individual developers are then executed. This structure reduces friction and compliance overhead compared to traditional fundraising mechanisms.
Concerns around sustainable funding for Ethereum’s core infrastructure have intensified as the network scales and development costs rise. The partnership signals growing recognition within the ecosystem that infrastructure funding mechanisms must evolve beyond grants and retroactive rewards.
