Lavel 0 vs. Level 1

Yep it's a typical problem. Unfortunately moving it up to level 1 won't solve the issue either because it's not difficult to reach level 1. Or 2 or 3. There are steam groups you can join like Unlucky-7 to make giveaways here for those who haven't won much. You could also use sgtools.info to create entry rules (must have given away x amount etc.) if you can understand how to do it.

If you don't want winners who have never given anything away, then you should make level 1 giveaways since that's the whole reason level 1 exists. Then you don't have to waste time blacklisting bots.

You don't have enough Blacklist slots for all that gave nothing and leech since years at this site (1k is the limit at the BL).
Not because they are poor, each one that can enter this site aren't really poor because he had $100 to spend at PC games, only because the most users see sg and the gifters as personal games dispensers.

So, yes, raising the minimum level will help a bit but at level 1 you meet the users that gave freebies away that aren't set at the bundle list, at least till now. So the same ones as at level 0 in the end.
At level 2 you start to feel a bit difference but you would still not have enough BL slots for all that only gave freebies and haven't correct calculated statistics with their freebies. Of course you start to meet there other people too that don't cheat the system.
So i would see that as absolut minimum level for all GA's.

With each level above that, drop the ammount of abusers more and more but you still have abusers, in other ways, at level 10 too.

I would advice you to pick level 3 or 4 but it is of course your decission.

I hope my words help you to decide what fits for you.

you could raise it to lv10 and you will still find users with 14:1 cv ratio. the only difference with lv0 is that they gave away something.

if you don't like lv0s, it's more effective to raise the minimum lv, but you will find leeches in every single level (and the worst kind, because most don't acknowledge what they are and instead point fingers at others to distract people). 👍

I had to move my public giveaways up to level 6, due to that problem. Even when I blaclisting people winning a lot more than giving away, there is no chance to get enough slots to discriminate all leechers from joining. Sadly, they do not even play what they win. That I consider as worse problem to be honest, some people do regularly giveaways, but won 200+ games from which they haven't play even one. Removing these bad apples is even worse as there is toooooo many of them, so very often is even unbundled AAA game just wasted.

I personally think level 3-4 is the sweet spot. I am level 4 myself and it didn't take much to get here (especially level 3). But getting level 5-6+ means I need to buy bundles (or non-bundled games) just to give away, and I don't like this idea.

I mean, since you can't gift everywhere from Steam right now, it becomes pretty impossible for me anyway. Most humble bundle T2 and T3's are lot cheaper if i buy them from steam one by one.