Whatever professional courtesy is required, as long as the 'no altcoin giveaway' rule is going to remain as-is, I think there should be a warning in the games and rounds sub. Having forum members post a LTC address to receive payment for a low effort task is a violation of forum policy as currently implemented.
I also don't think it is entirely unreasonable for someone to read the forum rules, and in good-faith host a giveaway that gives away both an altcoin and bitcoin, and believe they are following the rules. Moderators are experts of forum rules and policy, but normal users are not. Assuming the person has not caused major problems in the past, I would argue for a reduced ban 'punishment' that is reduced by 1/2, or so.
It seems to me that the OP is trying to get his foot in the door in starting a business managing advertising campaigns, and is having trouble doing so due to high transaction fees when measured in USD. I would say that healthy competition in the marketplace benefits everyone and that when possible, barriers to entry into the marketplace should be low. As such, I would repeat my suggestion that the rules be changed to allow for on forum giveaways upon the host paying a fee that is intended to cover the cost of resources expanded by the forum associated with allowing the giveaway.
I've already PMed both Cyrus and hilariousandco about creating a new sticky thread in Games and Rounds yesterday, but they haven't responded yet. Regarding the duration, as I've mentioned, I didn't feel like it was my call considering that the altcoin incentive was rather clear and IIRC I have not seen theymos reduce ban duration for organizing altcoin giveaways. As for rule changes, that's something you're going to have to petition theymos - I don't really have much say in the matter.
Thats fair enough. Most of the time, my participation in these types of threads is advocating for or against rule/policy changes, not that rules are being enforced incorrectly. The latter would generally be fairly cut and dry, and any mistake in implementation would be quickly pointed out, and the issue would be quickly solved. Also, FWIW, I have always seen you conduct yourself professionally as a moderator, even when those you are dealing with may not be.
You can give away BTC in Games and Rounds.
I've also seen many casinos give away small amounts of Bitcoin credited to the user's account. Those amounts are often lower than the withdrawal fees, and those giveaways don't get banned.
One could argue this isn't Bitcoin, but a token on a website. I can't say this is better than paying LTC on-chain.
The intention of the rule in question is to prevent people from promoting altcoins, and to keep the main subs related to bitcoin. In my eyes, a bitcoin IOU is the same as bitcoin, except it has counterparty risk. This is the same for any exchange, casino, or service that accepts bitcoin deposits.