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Women's Pro Basketball Bracket Challenge Contest Rules

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Women's Pro Basketball Bracket Challenge (the "Promotion"), which is a competition based on results of the 2024 Women's Pro Basketball Playoffs (the "Tournament"), accessible on the Internet via The GIST Ltd. (“The GIST”) website found at www.thegistsports.com (the “Website”). By submitting an entry, participants acknowledge that their email will be subscribed to The GIST email communications.

On Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT, the tournaments' selection committee will seed the qualifying teams that will participate in the Tournaments. Participants will attempt to select/pick the winning team for each of the games of the Tournaments in the form of a bracket (the "Bracket(s)"). Participants will earn points for each winning team correctly picked through their Brackets. The number of points awarded for each correct pick of a winning team of a Tournament will increase with each round of such Tournament. The exact number of points and how they are awarded in this Promotion is set forth in the 'Making Picks' section below. Cash Prizes (as defined below) shall be awarded during the Promotion, three (3) prizes are to be awarded to the top three Participants who enter the Bracket Challenge (in accordance with the terms herein). The Prize(s) tied to the Challenge will be awarded to the best three entrants based on total points scored, as described in Section 3 of these official rules ("Official Rules") and encompassing of any tiebreakers.

The Promotion allows for sign-up to begin on or about Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the game participation part of the Promotion will commence on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT, or when Brackets are made available via the Website. The Promotion commences on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT and ends on the earliest of Sunday, October 20, 2024 (or the end of the final game of the Tournaments (the "Promotion Period").

Eligibility

While Participants of all ages and locations can submit a Bracket for free, this Promotion and subsequent prizing is only open to persons who (a) are Registered Users; (b) are legal residents of the United States or Canada; and (c) are at least 18 years old at time of entry. All eligibility requirements must be proven by legal documentation.

No employees (part or full time) of The GIST are eligible to win any prizes.

A person can only win one prize (as determined by email address). Even if multiple brackets someone submits comes in the top three, they will only win the prize of their highest placing bracket, and the prize will go to the next highest bracket submitted by a different person.

2. Playing

Signing Up

Registered Users can enter a Bracket to the Promotion commencing on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT, but no later than the start of the first round of the Tournaments, on Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00:00 PM EDT. From there, users must follow the onscreen instructions to fill in their Bracket(s) in order to enter the Promotion and become a participant ("Participant(s)"). Onscreen Instructions are hereby incorporated by this reference to these Official Rules. Due to any unforeseen circumstances, including, without limitation, any game(s) cancellation or delay(s), the absence of game(s) statistics, a pandemic (e.g. COVID-19) and/or any other circumstances beyond The GIST’s control, The GIST may in its sole discretion make material changes to this Promotion, including, without limitation, canceling the Promotion and/or concluding the Promotion early. If such changes are necessary, they will be noted in these Official Rules.

For purpose of clarity, to become a Participant you must submit a qualifying entry. A qualifying entry is defined as an entry submitted by a Registered User in the United States or Canada that includes the Bracket picks and has been saved into the system.

Selection Deadline

The GIST (“Administrator”) will fill in the Brackets with the names of the teams participating in the Tournament, on Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT, and post the Brackets on-line on the Promotion related pages. Participants must register to the website, signup into the Promotion, fill in their Bracket with their picks and submit such eligible Bracket(s) no later than Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00:00 PM EDT. The Administrator may send a reminder email(s) at any time from Friday, September 20, 2024 at 10:00:00 AM EDT to Sunday, September 22, 2024 at 1:00:00 PM EDT to Participants who have signed up early for either or both Challenges but haven't yet submitted picks.

Making Picks / Scoring / Leaderboards

After you sign up and the teams/matchups have been announced, you will have access to the online Bracket page listing the teams that will participate in the Tournament and their round one match-ups.

Participants must enter their projected winning teams for all of the remaining matchups of the Tournament, at the time of submitting the Bracket, round by round, beginning with the first round. Picking a correct winner will be scored as follows: First Round is 2 Point; and each future round increases by 2 Points. Participants will receive updated individual scores as a combined total after every game and round.

If a matchup is decided by a series instead of a single game, participants will also be able to predict the series length of each matchup. Participants will receive additional points for a correct guess of the series length, provided they also guessed the winning team correctly.

After the Administrator has completed scoring for each Round (as well as the Promotion overall), Participants will be listed by user name along with their scores on a leaderboard ("Leaderboard") on the Website. The Leaderboard is solely for entertainment purposes only. Notwithstanding the posting of any Leaderboard, Administrator reserves the right to revise the scores and rankings of Participants listed on the Leaderboard at any time. Accordingly, even if a Participant is listed as the highest point scorer in a Final Leaderboard, such Participant is not guaranteed to win a prize in the Promotion. Inclusion of a Participant in a Final Leaderboard does not constitute any notification of winning; potential winners will only be notified via email from Administrator.

3. Prizing

The Bracket Challenge will award the following prizes:

1st place prize is a Nike gift card equivalent to the retail value of a pair of basketball sneakers ($150)

2nd place prize is a WNBA store gift card equivalent to the retail value of a WNBA jersey ($100)

3rd place prize is a WNBA store gift card equivalent to the retail value of a W hoodie ($75)

A tiebreaker question will be used to award additional points on identical brackets. Only one (1) of each price will be awarded. If multiple individuals are tied for a prize after scoring takes place, the following will be used to break the tie, in order:

  • Winning team selection with those that chose the correct winning team being ranked first
  • Tiebreaker answer with those that did not answer the tiebreaker question correctly being ranked first
  • Bracket submission time with the earliest submitted bracket being ranked first

Prize(s) are nontransferable.

Winner Notification

Within six (6) calendar days of the completion of both tournaments, The GIST will notify applicable winners. If a Winner cannot be contacted by email within five (5) calendar days of first notification attempt, or if Prize email notification is returned as undeliverable, or if a Winner declines/rejects his/her Prize, or a Winner is no longer subscribed to The GIST's email list at the time of contact, or in the event of non-compliance with these Official Rules and its requirements, such Prize will be forfeited and an alternate Winner will be selected based on the next-highest scoring bracket entry.

For cash portions of a Prize, each Winner will be given the option to be paid via ACH direct deposit or by Venmo. The Winner will be required to submit additional information (such as bank information or Venmo handle and phone number last four digits) in order to receive the prize.

4. Legal Disclaimers

General Conditions

By entering, each Participant accepts and agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of Administrator, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of each Winner. No substitution or transfer of a Prize is permitted except by Administrator.

Except where prohibited by law, the Winner's acceptance of a Prize constitutes permission for the Promotion Entities to use Winner's name, photograph, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice and address (city and state) worldwide and in all forms of media, now known or later developed in perpetuity, without further compensation. Additionally, Participants agree to Promotion Entities' use of their names and likeness for advertising and publicity purposes, in any media now known or later developed, without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law.

This Promotion is governed by and subject to all applicable Laws and regulations (federal, state and local) from where this Promotion is open to. Promotion Entities are not responsible for lost, late or misdirected online entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information, whether caused by a Participant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. The GIST reserves the right to halt or modify the Promotion at any time during the Promotion Period, if events beyond their control compromise the Promotion fairness or integrity.

In the event that a scheduled game is canceled or preempted for any reason, no points will be awarded. If a team is forced to forfeit a matchup resulting in another team advancing, points may still be rewarded for the winning team.

The Promotion Entities are not responsible for typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of this Promotion, including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of a Winner or the distribution of the Prizes.

The GIST, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any Participant from participating in the Promotion and/or refuse to award points or a Prize if Participant engages in any conduct The GIST deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Promotion or detrimental to other Participants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during Promotion registration or Prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating points through methods such as automated computer scripts or other programming techniques, allowing others to use the Participant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating points, tampering with The GIST’s administration of this Promotion, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or otherwise tamper with the computer programs on Websites. Participant further acknowledges that the forfeiture of a Prize shall in no way prevent The GIST from pursuing other avenues of recourse, such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct.

The GIST reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Promotion. This is a game designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in The GIST.

This Promotion may not be used for any form of gambling.

Internet

If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of The GIST which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Promotion, The GIST reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Promotion. In such event, The GIST further reserves the right to select the Winner(s) from all eligible entries received prior to and/or after (if appropriate) the action taken by The GIST. The Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions. The Promotion Entities are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received due to technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or any Web site or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Participant's or any other person's computer related to (or resulting from) participation or downloading any materials in this Promotion.

Lost or Corrupted Entries

The Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, and advertising and promotion agencies assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage-due entries or mail (if applicable), or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, and advertising and promotion agencies, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users, or tampering, hacking, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Promotion, and assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Promotion.

Damaged Property

The Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, and advertising and promotion agencies assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with injury or damage to any Participants or to any other person's computer or property related to (or resulting from) participating in this Promotion or downloading materials from this Promotion.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE GAME IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE GIST SPORTS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH CONTESTANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Any entry that is incomplete, late, or does not include a valid User ID will be disqualified.

In the event that the Promotion is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, The GIST Sports reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Promotion, or to disqualify Participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, the Promotion Entities shall have no liability to any Participants who are disqualified due to such an action.

Promotion Errors

The Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, and advertising and promotion agencies assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Promotion; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Promotion; and/or (c) in these Official Rules, including but not limited to errors in advertising the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of the Winner or the distribution of a Prize. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrators reserve the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Promotion.

Winner(s) and Prize(s)

The Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, and advertising and promotion agencies assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with the selection and announcement of a Winner, the distribution of the Prize(s), the acceptance/possession and/or use/misuse of any part of a Prize.

Release and Indemnity

Each Participant in the Promotion, including, without limitation, the Winner(s), hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Promotion Entities and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to a person, including death and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a Prize, participation in this Promotion and participation in any activity related to this Promotion.

Limitation of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranties

In no event will the Promotion Entities and/or their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries and related companies, their advertising or promotion agencies or their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents, be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of your access to and use of the The GIST and/or the Promotion, downloading from and/or printing material downloaded from the The GIST and/or the Promotion. In no event shall the Promotion Entities' total liability to you for all damages, losses, or causes of action exceed $100.

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The GIST Ltd. 545 King Street West Toronto On M5V 1M1

Note that if any user submits over 3 brackets, only the first 3 brackets they submit will be eligible entries for prizing.