$10,000 Grand Prize In 2014-15 Rotowire Online
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:41 pm
The NFBKC will again offer an Online Championship this season along with partner Rotowire.com. The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship will feature 12-team leagues at a cost of $350 per team with $2,100 in league prizes and a $10,000 grand prize. Here are the rules for this contest:
Official Rules and Regulations of The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship
1. Overview:
The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship will consist of of 12 teams/managers per league. The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship regular season will extend from the first game of the NBA regular season through the final game of the regular season.
Teams will compete for accumulative stats in 8 categories, with each category weighted equally. First place in each category will be worth 12 points, second place 11 points down to 1 point for last place in each category. Categories include:
• Total Points
• Total Rebounds
• Blocked Shots
• Steals
• Assists
• Field Goal Percentage
• Free Throw Percentage
• Three-Pointers Made
The team at the end of the year with the most cumulative points in each league wins the league title. Teams will also have their cumulative stats positioned in an overall Rotisserie-style ranking (with each category weighted equally among all teams in the Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship) with the top finisher overall winning the grand prize.
2. Draft:
All Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship leagues will hold their drafts online at NFBKC.stats.com. Leagues will be formed and closed when full 12-team leagues are comprised. If multiple leagues are formed on any given draft date/time, we will randomly pick teams to form the multiple leagues. Leagues and draft spots will be announced online as soon as they are full. There is no position requirement necessary for your reserve roster and you can change your starting lineup at the start of each week (Monday deadline).
All NFBKC draft leagues will use 3RR (3rd Round Reversal) in 2014-15, meaning that the draft order will go back down to 12 to start Round 3 and then continue in serpentine fashion after that. Draft orders will be 1-12 in Round 1, 12-1 in Round 2, 12-1 in Round 3 and then 1-12, 12-1 from Rounds 4 through 16.
If an NFBKC participant does not show up on time for the draft, the computer will auto-pick players based on the site’s pre-ranked list. Should that owner not show up at all, the computer would make all of the picks irregardless of position requirements. A legal lineup would need to be submitted prior to Week 1.
3. Roster Requirements:
Maximum of 16 players at all times.
4. Starting Lineup Requirements:
Starting lineups will consist of:
• 4 Guards
• 4 Forwards
• 2 Centers
• 2 Flex Spots
The NFBKC will list all of the position eligibilities on the draft site and all positions will be finalized beforehand to make sure everyone knows where all players qualify. Those lists will be final before Draft Day and available on NFBKC.stats.com. Some players will have dual position eligibility.
If no Week One lineup is submitted, the NFBKC will determine your starting lineup based on the order of your draft picks. After Week One, if no starting lineup is submitted, your starting lineup will be that of the previous week.
A. League Management Web Address: You can access your league via the Internet by going to http://NFBKC.stats.com. You will need an ID and a password to access the game site. Contact Tom Kessenich at [email protected] if you are signed up for the contest and don’t have an ID and password.
B. Lineup Submission: All lineups may be submitted on the league web site and are due five minutes before the scheduled start time of each player’s first game on Monday and Tuesday. NFBKC owners will be able to finalize their starting lineups on Tuesday with players who had no game on Monday, locking in those final roster spots five minutes before their scheduled start time on Tuesday.
5. Scoring:
The Rotowire.com Fantasy Basketball Online Championship will use an 8-category Rotisserie scoring setup. Cumulative totals will be used for the following categories:
• Points
• Rebounds (total)
• Blocks
• Steals
• Three Pointers Made
• Assists
• Field Goal Percentage
• Free Throw Percentage
6. Position Eligibility:
The NFBKC will determine each player’s position eligibility before Draft Day. All decisions by the NFBKC are final.
7. Free Agents:
Any player who is not on a team roster within your league is considered a free agent for that league and is eligible to be acquired via the FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Bidding) period.
8. Free Agent Acquisitions:
The free agent system will be a “blind bidding” process for each individual league. Each team will start with 1,000 free agent “dollars” for the season, and will be permitted to bid for free agents on a weekly basis. We will show the runner-up bids for each team, but no team will be informed of any other team’s free agent bids. The team with the highest bid on any given player will be awarded that player. The amount of the winning bid will be deducted from the winning team’s free agent dollars. For each winning bid, the winning team must drop a player to make roster room for the free agent acquisition. If a team’s free agent budget goes to zero, that team will no longer be allowed to bid for the rest of the season. No bid will be accepted that is larger than a team's free agent dollars. All bids must be in increments of dollars (no cents).
9. Bidding Time Frame:
The bidding process starts on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and ends after the Sunday, April 12 bids are entered. Bids will be accepted on the league web site from Monday at 3 p.m. ET until Sunday at 10 p.m. ET in each of these weeks. Rosters will be updated by 11 p.m. ET on Sunday with the results of all successful bids and starting lineups for the upcoming week must be finalized five minutes before the scheduled first start time on Monday.
10. Conditional Bids:
Conditional bids can also be offered. In the event you may lose out on a player, you can place conditional bid(s) for other players during the bidding time frame. The first conditional bid will become relevant only if you lose out on the first bid. Subsequent conditional bids will become relevant only if the previous conditional bid fails. Bids do not require conditional bids. Bids may have several sequential conditional bids. Participants should note that the computer takes the highest bids and processes each bid in that order if you have multiple FAAB acquisition bids. Putting a larger bid on a conditional bid than a primary bid will result in that player being your top choice.
11. Number of Bid Limits:
There is no limit to the number of bids each week in which bids are permitted.
12. Tied Bids:
If there is a tie bid, the team that receives the player will be determined in order by:
• Worst league standing.
• Lowest standing the previous week.
• Lowest standing two weeks previous.
• Lowest standing three weeks previous.
• Lowest draft spot on Draft Day.
13. Trades between managers:
To minimize the possibility of collusion, there will be no trading allowed. All drops are also subject to review by the commissioner of the NFBKC and can be revoked if the dropped player is deemed too valuable to be offered to that league’s free agent pool, thus damaging the credibility of the overall contest. The commissioner also has the right to allow all drops and to remove any player from that league’s free agent pool. All decisions by the NFBKC commissioner will be final.
14. League Structure:
Each league will consist of 12 teams competing in a Rotisserie style mixed-league format for the league championship. Meanwhile, daily standings will be held for an overall champion using the same statistics. If the Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship finishes with 180 teams, first place in any category in the overall standings will be worth 180 points, second place 1799, etc. all the way to one point for last place. This will occur in all 8 scoring categories. Payoffs will be for the first three teams in each league and for the top 10 overall finishers.
15. Prize Breakdown:
• Each League Champion = $1,400
• Each League 2nd place finisher = $700
• Overall Prize Structure:
• 1st Place = $10,000
• 2nd Place = $2,500
• 3rd Place = $1,500
• 4th Place = $1,000
• 5th Place = $750
• 6th Place = $750
• 7th Place = $500
• 8th Place = $500
16. Time Limit For Draft:
There will be a 70-second time limit for each owner to make his/her pick during each round of the online NFBKC draft. If a participant does not make a selection in the allotted time, there will be an auto-pick by the computer. You are allowed to pre-rank your players or the computer will pick from the pre-ranked list done by the web site. The NFBKC reserves the right to allow the draft moderator to roll-back the draft if a technical error occurred, but if the desired player had already been selected before the draft was stopped, that player is no longer available to be drafted. All decisions by the draft facilitator are final.
17. Random League/Draft Order Selection:
The NFBKC will randomly select the leagues and the draft orders of each league once all entries have been submitted. We'll also implement the Kentucky Derby Style process to allow owners more draft preference. The KDS process allows owners to rank their order of preference for Draft Day, ranking their preferences 1 through 12 BEFORE the leagues are selected. If an owner wants the third pick and is selected No. 1 overall in his league, he would choose that option and he would then be moved to third in that league on Draft Day. NFBKC officials will look at every owner's Draft Preferences after the leagues and orders are randomly selected and then announce the draft orders for each league. If you decide not to rank your preferences, your preferred order will remain 1 through 12. Owners can change their Draft Preferences right up until the announced deadline is set. An example of a KDS preference would be: 1, 2, 3, 12, 11 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 6, 10. If you were picked fourth out of the hat for your league and the top three teams took 1, 2, and 3, then you'd be slotted in the 12th spot (your fourth preference) on Draft Day.
18. Eligibility; Registration:
The National Fantasy Basketball Championship is open to individuals who are at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in your state of residence) and are a resident of the United States of America or Canada. Notwithstanding the foregoing, residents of Washington State, Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Iowa, and Vermont are not eligible to register or play in the NFBC. All registrations must be in the full legal name of the primary team owner, though owners will have the option to add a co-manager(s).
19. Official Rules:
Registration for, and continued participation in, the National Fantasy Basketball Championship constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these official rules (“Official Rules”) and to STATS’ decisions relating thereto. STATS’ decisions in regards to these Official Rules and all matters pertaining to the National Fantasy Basketball Championship are final and binding.
20. Refunds:
Once a participant submits valid payment, no money will be refunded unless the NFBKC event for which such participant has registered has been canceled. A team spot is considered filled when the entire entry fee is paid. STATS reserves the right to cancel any entries which are not part of a full league. In addition, STATS retains the right to deny, at its sole discretion, eligibility of any individual to register for any NFBKC game or event and/or participate in any NFBKC game or event, even after the registration fee has been paid, but in such case, the entry fee will be refunded. Under no condition shall STATS be held responsible for any loss or liability related to any expenses incurred by a denied entrant or any person affiliated with that denied entrant. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that any participant or co-manager is banned from the NFBKC as the result of any violation of the Official Rules, then no refund will be given.
21. Cancellation:
At its sole discretion, STATS reserves the right to terminate any NFBKC game, event or league at any time prior to the completion of the season due to any acts of God, natural disasters, terrorism, change in applicable law, interruption of the season (including strikes, lockouts and/or use of replacement players), or any other situation beyond the control of STATS. In the event of any such termination by STATS, all entry fees will be refunded, with the exception of any live event fees (if such live event has already occurred).
At its sole discretion, STATS reserves the right to terminate any NFBKC game, event or league (including the National Fantasy Basketball Championship Main Event) if there are an insufficient number of teams prior to the scheduled start of the league. In this unlikely event, STATS will refund all entry fees within 48 hours of cancellation notice and/or provide a new application form with the newly stated prize figures. In this situation, all pre-registered applicants have the right to a full refund or to agree to play for the newly announced prize structure. STATS is not responsible for any loss or liability incurred by any participant or co-managers due to cancellation of any NFBKC game, event or league, including but not limited to travel or hotel expenses, time taken off from employment, etc.
22. Code of Conduct:
All participants and co-managers are expected to behave in lawful, respectful and sportsman-like fashion at all live draft events, throughout the NFBKC season, and during use of any NFBKC website, including, but not limited to comments posted on any NFBKC message board. Additionally the NFBKC events, games and/or leagues may not be used for any form of gambling. Any conduct or message board post by a participant, co-manager or other person which is deemed by STATS, in its sole discretion, to be unlawful, or to have the effect of intimidating, harassing, offending or otherwise harming any other participant, co-manager, guest, or NFBKC/STATS representative, is strictly prohibited. STATS reserves the right, in its sole discretion to ban any person from current and/or future participation in the NFBKC and/or from use of the message boards if such person engages in any such prohibited conduct or is otherwise in violation of any of these Rules. In addition, any person engaging in such conduct forfeits any rights to a refund, as well as any potential rights to a prize award. STATS shall not be responsible or held liable to any person for damage to property or personal injury or death arising from the acts or omissions of any third parties. Any participants or co-managers who collude, or attempt to collude, or who attempts to blackmail, bribe or otherwise influence any representative of STATS/NFBKC, or who otherwise attempts to sabotage the league, in an effort to alter the results or outcome of any NFBKC game will be disqualified and will be prohibited from winning any prize award. If a participant is banned from participation in a current NFBKC game, then STATS reserves the right, to take those actions which it sees fit, in its sole discretion with respect to such banned participant’s team. Any criminal behavior may be referred to the appropriate authorities.
23. Errors:
The deadline for submitting any dispute or claim regarding the operation of any league draft is one hour after the conclusion of the draft itself; further, leaving any live draft event without submitting any dispute or claim regarding the draft constitutes your waiver of any right to challenge any aspect of the draft. You are strongly urged to double-check your lineups, trades, and free agent moves throughout the season, as STATS/NFBKC will not be held liable for any errors in entering lineups, trades or free agent moves, and STATS/NFBKC will not intervene or alter a transaction after lineups, trades or free agent moves are due.
24. Prize Splitting:
Prize splitting amongst the principal registrant and co-managers is available, provided that the principal registrant has authorized payment to his co-managers in writing and in advance of the completion of the season. In order to authorize prize-splitting, the principal registrant must completely fill out and sign the authorization form designated by STATS (including the name and address of the co-manager(s) and the applicable prize percentage to be paid to each co-manager(s)). Both the principal registrant and each co-manager designated on a prize-splitting form will be required to fill out a W-9. No prize money will be distributed until all necessary forms have been received by STATS. Both the principal registrant and the co-manager(s) will receive IRS Form 1099 reflecting the prize money paid to each. If STATS deems, in its sole discretion, that the appropriate documentation and/or authorization has not been received, or has not been received in a timely fashion, then STATS will pay prize payments only to the principal registrant.
25. Communication and Access:
All NFBKC team owners must have internet access and a valid e-mail address for communication. STATS is not responsible for any issues which impede or interfere with the transmission or receipt of any transaction, including but not limited to, draft selections, trades, free agent moves and lineups. STATS is also not responsible for the failure of any telephone networks/lines, internet connections, software/hardware, or internet congestion/transmission rates.
26. Hold Harmless:
Each participant and co-owner hereby releases and holds harmless STATS and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives from and against any and all liability for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind to person (including death) and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from participation in any NFBKC event, game or league, as well as acceptance or use of any prize award.
27. Disputes; Limitation of Liability; Disclaimer:
Each participant and co-owner agrees that (i) all issues and questions regarding the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or your rights and obligations in connection with the NFBKC shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of Illinois, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules; and (ii) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the NFBKC or any prize awarded will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, or the appropriate state court located in Cook County, Illinois; and (iii) in no event shall STATS liability to you for any and all damages, losses or causes of action exceed $250; and (iv) in no event shall STATS, its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives, be liable for any punitive, incidental and consequential damages. If your jurisdiction does not allow limitations or exclusions of liability for incidental or consequential damages, the above may not apply to you. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EACH NFBKC GAME, EVENT, LEAGUE,WEBSITE, AND BULLETIN BOARD/FORUM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IF YOUR JURISDICTION DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Official Rules and Regulations of The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship
1. Overview:
The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship will consist of of 12 teams/managers per league. The Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship regular season will extend from the first game of the NBA regular season through the final game of the regular season.
Teams will compete for accumulative stats in 8 categories, with each category weighted equally. First place in each category will be worth 12 points, second place 11 points down to 1 point for last place in each category. Categories include:
• Total Points
• Total Rebounds
• Blocked Shots
• Steals
• Assists
• Field Goal Percentage
• Free Throw Percentage
• Three-Pointers Made
The team at the end of the year with the most cumulative points in each league wins the league title. Teams will also have their cumulative stats positioned in an overall Rotisserie-style ranking (with each category weighted equally among all teams in the Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship) with the top finisher overall winning the grand prize.
2. Draft:
All Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship leagues will hold their drafts online at NFBKC.stats.com. Leagues will be formed and closed when full 12-team leagues are comprised. If multiple leagues are formed on any given draft date/time, we will randomly pick teams to form the multiple leagues. Leagues and draft spots will be announced online as soon as they are full. There is no position requirement necessary for your reserve roster and you can change your starting lineup at the start of each week (Monday deadline).
All NFBKC draft leagues will use 3RR (3rd Round Reversal) in 2014-15, meaning that the draft order will go back down to 12 to start Round 3 and then continue in serpentine fashion after that. Draft orders will be 1-12 in Round 1, 12-1 in Round 2, 12-1 in Round 3 and then 1-12, 12-1 from Rounds 4 through 16.
If an NFBKC participant does not show up on time for the draft, the computer will auto-pick players based on the site’s pre-ranked list. Should that owner not show up at all, the computer would make all of the picks irregardless of position requirements. A legal lineup would need to be submitted prior to Week 1.
3. Roster Requirements:
Maximum of 16 players at all times.
4. Starting Lineup Requirements:
Starting lineups will consist of:
• 4 Guards
• 4 Forwards
• 2 Centers
• 2 Flex Spots
The NFBKC will list all of the position eligibilities on the draft site and all positions will be finalized beforehand to make sure everyone knows where all players qualify. Those lists will be final before Draft Day and available on NFBKC.stats.com. Some players will have dual position eligibility.
If no Week One lineup is submitted, the NFBKC will determine your starting lineup based on the order of your draft picks. After Week One, if no starting lineup is submitted, your starting lineup will be that of the previous week.
A. League Management Web Address: You can access your league via the Internet by going to http://NFBKC.stats.com. You will need an ID and a password to access the game site. Contact Tom Kessenich at [email protected] if you are signed up for the contest and don’t have an ID and password.
B. Lineup Submission: All lineups may be submitted on the league web site and are due five minutes before the scheduled start time of each player’s first game on Monday and Tuesday. NFBKC owners will be able to finalize their starting lineups on Tuesday with players who had no game on Monday, locking in those final roster spots five minutes before their scheduled start time on Tuesday.
5. Scoring:
The Rotowire.com Fantasy Basketball Online Championship will use an 8-category Rotisserie scoring setup. Cumulative totals will be used for the following categories:
• Points
• Rebounds (total)
• Blocks
• Steals
• Three Pointers Made
• Assists
• Field Goal Percentage
• Free Throw Percentage
6. Position Eligibility:
The NFBKC will determine each player’s position eligibility before Draft Day. All decisions by the NFBKC are final.
7. Free Agents:
Any player who is not on a team roster within your league is considered a free agent for that league and is eligible to be acquired via the FAAB (Free Agent Acquisition Bidding) period.
8. Free Agent Acquisitions:
The free agent system will be a “blind bidding” process for each individual league. Each team will start with 1,000 free agent “dollars” for the season, and will be permitted to bid for free agents on a weekly basis. We will show the runner-up bids for each team, but no team will be informed of any other team’s free agent bids. The team with the highest bid on any given player will be awarded that player. The amount of the winning bid will be deducted from the winning team’s free agent dollars. For each winning bid, the winning team must drop a player to make roster room for the free agent acquisition. If a team’s free agent budget goes to zero, that team will no longer be allowed to bid for the rest of the season. No bid will be accepted that is larger than a team's free agent dollars. All bids must be in increments of dollars (no cents).
9. Bidding Time Frame:
The bidding process starts on Tuesday, Oct. 28 and ends after the Sunday, April 12 bids are entered. Bids will be accepted on the league web site from Monday at 3 p.m. ET until Sunday at 10 p.m. ET in each of these weeks. Rosters will be updated by 11 p.m. ET on Sunday with the results of all successful bids and starting lineups for the upcoming week must be finalized five minutes before the scheduled first start time on Monday.
10. Conditional Bids:
Conditional bids can also be offered. In the event you may lose out on a player, you can place conditional bid(s) for other players during the bidding time frame. The first conditional bid will become relevant only if you lose out on the first bid. Subsequent conditional bids will become relevant only if the previous conditional bid fails. Bids do not require conditional bids. Bids may have several sequential conditional bids. Participants should note that the computer takes the highest bids and processes each bid in that order if you have multiple FAAB acquisition bids. Putting a larger bid on a conditional bid than a primary bid will result in that player being your top choice.
11. Number of Bid Limits:
There is no limit to the number of bids each week in which bids are permitted.
12. Tied Bids:
If there is a tie bid, the team that receives the player will be determined in order by:
• Worst league standing.
• Lowest standing the previous week.
• Lowest standing two weeks previous.
• Lowest standing three weeks previous.
• Lowest draft spot on Draft Day.
13. Trades between managers:
To minimize the possibility of collusion, there will be no trading allowed. All drops are also subject to review by the commissioner of the NFBKC and can be revoked if the dropped player is deemed too valuable to be offered to that league’s free agent pool, thus damaging the credibility of the overall contest. The commissioner also has the right to allow all drops and to remove any player from that league’s free agent pool. All decisions by the NFBKC commissioner will be final.
14. League Structure:
Each league will consist of 12 teams competing in a Rotisserie style mixed-league format for the league championship. Meanwhile, daily standings will be held for an overall champion using the same statistics. If the Rotowire Fantasy Basketball Online Championship finishes with 180 teams, first place in any category in the overall standings will be worth 180 points, second place 1799, etc. all the way to one point for last place. This will occur in all 8 scoring categories. Payoffs will be for the first three teams in each league and for the top 10 overall finishers.
15. Prize Breakdown:
• Each League Champion = $1,400
• Each League 2nd place finisher = $700
• Overall Prize Structure:
• 1st Place = $10,000
• 2nd Place = $2,500
• 3rd Place = $1,500
• 4th Place = $1,000
• 5th Place = $750
• 6th Place = $750
• 7th Place = $500
• 8th Place = $500
16. Time Limit For Draft:
There will be a 70-second time limit for each owner to make his/her pick during each round of the online NFBKC draft. If a participant does not make a selection in the allotted time, there will be an auto-pick by the computer. You are allowed to pre-rank your players or the computer will pick from the pre-ranked list done by the web site. The NFBKC reserves the right to allow the draft moderator to roll-back the draft if a technical error occurred, but if the desired player had already been selected before the draft was stopped, that player is no longer available to be drafted. All decisions by the draft facilitator are final.
17. Random League/Draft Order Selection:
The NFBKC will randomly select the leagues and the draft orders of each league once all entries have been submitted. We'll also implement the Kentucky Derby Style process to allow owners more draft preference. The KDS process allows owners to rank their order of preference for Draft Day, ranking their preferences 1 through 12 BEFORE the leagues are selected. If an owner wants the third pick and is selected No. 1 overall in his league, he would choose that option and he would then be moved to third in that league on Draft Day. NFBKC officials will look at every owner's Draft Preferences after the leagues and orders are randomly selected and then announce the draft orders for each league. If you decide not to rank your preferences, your preferred order will remain 1 through 12. Owners can change their Draft Preferences right up until the announced deadline is set. An example of a KDS preference would be: 1, 2, 3, 12, 11 7, 8, 9, 4, 5, 6, 10. If you were picked fourth out of the hat for your league and the top three teams took 1, 2, and 3, then you'd be slotted in the 12th spot (your fourth preference) on Draft Day.
18. Eligibility; Registration:
The National Fantasy Basketball Championship is open to individuals who are at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in your state of residence) and are a resident of the United States of America or Canada. Notwithstanding the foregoing, residents of Washington State, Louisiana, Montana, Arizona, Iowa, and Vermont are not eligible to register or play in the NFBC. All registrations must be in the full legal name of the primary team owner, though owners will have the option to add a co-manager(s).
19. Official Rules:
Registration for, and continued participation in, the National Fantasy Basketball Championship constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these official rules (“Official Rules”) and to STATS’ decisions relating thereto. STATS’ decisions in regards to these Official Rules and all matters pertaining to the National Fantasy Basketball Championship are final and binding.
20. Refunds:
Once a participant submits valid payment, no money will be refunded unless the NFBKC event for which such participant has registered has been canceled. A team spot is considered filled when the entire entry fee is paid. STATS reserves the right to cancel any entries which are not part of a full league. In addition, STATS retains the right to deny, at its sole discretion, eligibility of any individual to register for any NFBKC game or event and/or participate in any NFBKC game or event, even after the registration fee has been paid, but in such case, the entry fee will be refunded. Under no condition shall STATS be held responsible for any loss or liability related to any expenses incurred by a denied entrant or any person affiliated with that denied entrant. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in the event that any participant or co-manager is banned from the NFBKC as the result of any violation of the Official Rules, then no refund will be given.
21. Cancellation:
At its sole discretion, STATS reserves the right to terminate any NFBKC game, event or league at any time prior to the completion of the season due to any acts of God, natural disasters, terrorism, change in applicable law, interruption of the season (including strikes, lockouts and/or use of replacement players), or any other situation beyond the control of STATS. In the event of any such termination by STATS, all entry fees will be refunded, with the exception of any live event fees (if such live event has already occurred).
At its sole discretion, STATS reserves the right to terminate any NFBKC game, event or league (including the National Fantasy Basketball Championship Main Event) if there are an insufficient number of teams prior to the scheduled start of the league. In this unlikely event, STATS will refund all entry fees within 48 hours of cancellation notice and/or provide a new application form with the newly stated prize figures. In this situation, all pre-registered applicants have the right to a full refund or to agree to play for the newly announced prize structure. STATS is not responsible for any loss or liability incurred by any participant or co-managers due to cancellation of any NFBKC game, event or league, including but not limited to travel or hotel expenses, time taken off from employment, etc.
22. Code of Conduct:
All participants and co-managers are expected to behave in lawful, respectful and sportsman-like fashion at all live draft events, throughout the NFBKC season, and during use of any NFBKC website, including, but not limited to comments posted on any NFBKC message board. Additionally the NFBKC events, games and/or leagues may not be used for any form of gambling. Any conduct or message board post by a participant, co-manager or other person which is deemed by STATS, in its sole discretion, to be unlawful, or to have the effect of intimidating, harassing, offending or otherwise harming any other participant, co-manager, guest, or NFBKC/STATS representative, is strictly prohibited. STATS reserves the right, in its sole discretion to ban any person from current and/or future participation in the NFBKC and/or from use of the message boards if such person engages in any such prohibited conduct or is otherwise in violation of any of these Rules. In addition, any person engaging in such conduct forfeits any rights to a refund, as well as any potential rights to a prize award. STATS shall not be responsible or held liable to any person for damage to property or personal injury or death arising from the acts or omissions of any third parties. Any participants or co-managers who collude, or attempt to collude, or who attempts to blackmail, bribe or otherwise influence any representative of STATS/NFBKC, or who otherwise attempts to sabotage the league, in an effort to alter the results or outcome of any NFBKC game will be disqualified and will be prohibited from winning any prize award. If a participant is banned from participation in a current NFBKC game, then STATS reserves the right, to take those actions which it sees fit, in its sole discretion with respect to such banned participant’s team. Any criminal behavior may be referred to the appropriate authorities.
23. Errors:
The deadline for submitting any dispute or claim regarding the operation of any league draft is one hour after the conclusion of the draft itself; further, leaving any live draft event without submitting any dispute or claim regarding the draft constitutes your waiver of any right to challenge any aspect of the draft. You are strongly urged to double-check your lineups, trades, and free agent moves throughout the season, as STATS/NFBKC will not be held liable for any errors in entering lineups, trades or free agent moves, and STATS/NFBKC will not intervene or alter a transaction after lineups, trades or free agent moves are due.
24. Prize Splitting:
Prize splitting amongst the principal registrant and co-managers is available, provided that the principal registrant has authorized payment to his co-managers in writing and in advance of the completion of the season. In order to authorize prize-splitting, the principal registrant must completely fill out and sign the authorization form designated by STATS (including the name and address of the co-manager(s) and the applicable prize percentage to be paid to each co-manager(s)). Both the principal registrant and each co-manager designated on a prize-splitting form will be required to fill out a W-9. No prize money will be distributed until all necessary forms have been received by STATS. Both the principal registrant and the co-manager(s) will receive IRS Form 1099 reflecting the prize money paid to each. If STATS deems, in its sole discretion, that the appropriate documentation and/or authorization has not been received, or has not been received in a timely fashion, then STATS will pay prize payments only to the principal registrant.
25. Communication and Access:
All NFBKC team owners must have internet access and a valid e-mail address for communication. STATS is not responsible for any issues which impede or interfere with the transmission or receipt of any transaction, including but not limited to, draft selections, trades, free agent moves and lineups. STATS is also not responsible for the failure of any telephone networks/lines, internet connections, software/hardware, or internet congestion/transmission rates.
26. Hold Harmless:
Each participant and co-owner hereby releases and holds harmless STATS and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives from and against any and all liability for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind to person (including death) and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from participation in any NFBKC event, game or league, as well as acceptance or use of any prize award.
27. Disputes; Limitation of Liability; Disclaimer:
Each participant and co-owner agrees that (i) all issues and questions regarding the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or your rights and obligations in connection with the NFBKC shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the state of Illinois, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules; and (ii) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the NFBKC or any prize awarded will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, or the appropriate state court located in Cook County, Illinois; and (iii) in no event shall STATS liability to you for any and all damages, losses or causes of action exceed $250; and (iv) in no event shall STATS, its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries, and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives, be liable for any punitive, incidental and consequential damages. If your jurisdiction does not allow limitations or exclusions of liability for incidental or consequential damages, the above may not apply to you. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EACH NFBKC GAME, EVENT, LEAGUE,WEBSITE, AND BULLETIN BOARD/FORUM IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IF YOUR JURISDICTION DOES NOT ALLOW FOR THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.