What is the ruling on a charity game that relies on paying a sum of money as a fine for not carrying out charitable instructions, then donating the collected amount to a charity chosen by the winner?

There is no harm in this game as long as its commands are permissible, such as kissing the heads of parents or serving drinks to those present, provided that the one who refuses is not compelled to pay money. This is explained by two reasons:

Firstly: It is not permissible to spend money on competitions and games except for what has been stipulated by the Sharia, such as competitions involving camels, horses, arrows, and what has been appended to that, such as competitions in Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, and what involves spreading the religion, based on the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "There is no prize except in archery, or hoofed animals [horses or camels]."

Secondly: If the payment of money is obligatory and compulsive, then it is a financial penalty (ta'zeer bi al-mal), which is prohibited by the majority of scholars. Those who permitted it restricted it to those in authority, such as the ruler and the judge.