Festivus Challenge Rules
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“FESTIVUS CHALLENGE”
HANDICAPPING CONTEST RULES
CONTEST RULES
Welcome to Tampa Bay Downs’ 2023 “10 Days of Festivus.” We hope you will take the opportunity to participate in the track’s 2023 Handicapping Contest presented during this year’s live 2023-2024 Thoroughbred racing meet. The online action begins by going to www.festivuschallenge.com where you can register and participate in our “10 Days of Festivus.” Our “10 Days of Festivus” contest begins Saturday, December 2, 2023, and runs through Saturday, December 23, 2023. Registration begins November 29, 2023.
ENTRY:
Participants must register by 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 2, 2023. By registering for the contest and making contest selections, game players agree to abide by the contest rules and by the decisions of Tampa Bay Downs which are final in all matters pertaining to the contest.
HOW THE CONTEST WORKS:
The “10 Days of Festivus” is a FREE online competition where all wagers are mythical. Contestants compete for prizes which will be awarded after the final racing day of the contest (December 23, 2023). Contest participants are required to register for the contest using a valid e-mail and residential address (only one e-mail address allowed per player; two players per household will be allowed). Once registered, players may log on to the game and select ONLY one entry from either of each day’s TWO randomly selected CHALLENGE RACES. Races shall be selected by the Contest Administrator and posted on the contest site by 7 a.m. on each contest day. Players must make a selection every day during the “10 Days of Festivus.” Skipping a day counts as a losing lifeline; lose all of your lifelines and you’re out! Past performances for both “10 Days of Festivus” races will be available on the game page for each contest day courtesy of Daily Racing Form.
PLAYING THE “FESTIVUS CHALLENGE:”
Challenge participants are required to select a horse in one of that day’s CHALLENGE RACES, with results determined from a $2 mythical win-place-show wager on their pick. The total mythical pari-mutuel payouts will be based on the official race results and will accrue to the game player’s mythical bankroll throughout the player’s contest eligibility. The deadline for contest selections each day is one minute before the race’s scheduled post time. A player’s bankroll is based on Win/Place/Show mutuel results for the associated live Tampa Bay Downs races. Example A: If your selection in either of the day’s CHALLENGE RACES finishes first, paying $20.40 to win, $7.20 to place and $5.00 to show, your mythical bankroll will be credited or increased by $32.60 on that day ($20.40 plus $7.20 plus $5.00). Example B: If your selection in either of the day’s CHALLENGE RACES finishes third, paying $4.80 to show, your mythical bankroll will be credited or increased by $4.80 on that day. Example C: If your selection in either of the day’s CHALLENGE RACES does not finish first, second or third (off-the-board), your bankroll does not increase and you will lose a lifeline. Loss of all lifelines results in elimination. The “10 Days of Festivus” bankroll scoring is based on official race pari-mutuel information. Leader board information at www.festivuschallenge.com will be available by midnight after the day’s Challenge races.
QUALIFYING CONTEST RACES:
Each day’s two CHALLENGE RACES will be selected by contest administrators.
ADVANCING IN THE CONTEST:
To keep the emphasis on handicapping skill as opposed to money management, each player is limited to one $2 win-place-show wager on ONE of that day’s TWO CHALLENGE RACES. Any day when a player’s choice finishes off-the-board, or the player does not make a selection for any reason, the player loses a lifeline. Losing all lifelines will result in elimination after the next off-the-board finish which eliminates a player from further participation in the contest. Eliminated players will be notified via e-mail.
LIFELINES:
Participants start the “10 Days of Festivus” with one (1) FREE lifeline. A lifeline becomes necessary when a player does not enter selections for a particular contest day OR when the player’s selection in a CHALLENGE RACE fails to finish first, second or third. In either case, the player will lose a lifeline.
This season, players have the opportunity to purchase additional lifelines. Lifelines can be purchased during the following time periods:
- (2) Lifelines can be purchased at $5 each upon sign-up
- (2) Lifelines can be purchased on Tuesday, December 12 for $10 each
- (1) Lifeline can be purchased on Tuesday, December 19 for $25
You must be alive in the contest to purchase the additional lifelines. Each player’s lifeline totals will remain confidential.
LEADER BOARD:
Contestants can check www.festivuschallenge.com for the latest leader board standings.
CONTEST SELECTION TIMES:
Each participant’s race selection must be made one minute before post time for the selected CHALLENGE RACE. You are permitted to change your selection any time prior to your Challenge Race’s post time.
Selection Scratches: If your selection is scratched at any time when the CHALLENGE RACES are still open for selections, you may make another selection. No change may be made after post time. If your horse is scratched and you do not make another selection, you automatically receive the post-time (off-time) favorite in that race..
“10 Days of Festivus” PRIZES are based on the highest accumulated pari-mutuel payout total (bankroll), provided those players are still active when the contest ends on Saturday, December 23, 2023. Prizes will be awarded as follows: The active participant surviving with the highest accumulated pari-mutuel payout total (bankroll) at the end of the “10 Days of Festivus” Saturday, December 23, 2023) will be declared the GRAND PRIZE winner. In the event of a tie, the Grand Prize winner will be the player selecting the most race winners. A Prize for the second-highest bankroll among active players will also be awarded. The player selecting the most first-place finishers among those tied (MOST WINNERS) will be declared the winner. In the unlikely event of a tie in the MOST WINNERS category as well, the individual with the highest single win mutuel during the duration of the contest will be declared the winner.
Players may access a daily leader board listing each participant’s current bankroll and previous race selections at www.festivuschallenge.com All prize winners will be notified via e-mail and leader board results and prize winners’ names will be posted on the contest website, www.festivuschallenge.com
CONDITIONS:
“10 Days of Festivus” participants agree to abide by the CHALLENGE official rules by registering and playing the game. Players must be 18 years or older at time of registration, possess a valid e-mail address, and be a legal resident of the U.S. or Canada. No purchase or payment is required to enter or play the game. One (1) entry per person is allowed. Players submitting more than one (1) e-mail registration will be subject to disqualification from the Challenge and ineligible to advance and earn prizes. Registration is limited to two (2) entries per household address. Odds of winning depend on the number of players and skill level of each player. Prizes will be awarded regardless of the number of players. Prizes are not transferable and no substitution of prizes is permitted.
DISCLAIMER:
The Tampa Bay Downs “10 Days of Festivus” Handicapping Contest is a contest of skill, subject to all federal, state, and local laws and void where prohibited by law. Tampa Bay Downs reserves the right to verify eligibility qualifications of entrants. If Tampa Bay Downs determines, in its sole discretion, that there is any suspected or actual electronic tampering with the contest or if technical difficulties compromise the integrity of the contest, Tampa Bay Downs reserves the right to void the entries at issue and/or terminate the contest. If the contest is terminated due to tampering or technical difficulties or for any other reason prior to its planned expiration date, notice will be posted on the “10 Days of Festivus” website. Tampa Bay Downs employees, vendors and their immediate families plus persons who live in a state where the contest is prohibited are also ineligible to compete in the CHALLENGE.
To enter the “FESTIVUS CHALLENGE,” registration must be made at the www.festivuschallenge.com page by completing the mandatory fields on the electronic sign-up form and must be completed by 10:30 a.m. EDT on Saturday, December 2, 2023. No mailed, e-mailed, faxed or hand-delivered entries will be accepted.
All decisions in the administration of the “10 Days of Festivus” contest are final and binding. Information submitted in the registration for the “10 Days of Festivus” may be retained by Tampa Bay Downs and used for marketing, research, or other purposes. “10 Days of Festivus” is governed by the laws of the United States of America and the State of Florida. It is the sole responsibility of the entrant to notify Tampa Bay Downs either in writing or via e-mail of any changes in his or her e-mail address. Prize winners may be required to complete, sign, and return an affidavit of eligibility. Acceptance of any prize award as a result of the entrant’s participation in the “10 Days of Festivus” grants permission to Tampa Bay Downs to use the name, likeness, or photograph of that participant for publicity purposes without additional compensation.
All applicable state and federal taxes with regard to prize awards are the individual responsibility of the winner. Tampa Bay Downs reserves the right at any time to cancel or suspend the “10 Days of Festivus” without notice to participants or prospective participants by posting such notice on its website, and shall bear neither obligation nor liability to award any prizes in the event of a cancellation or suspension. If any of the CHALLENGE RACES are cancelled for any reason, all selections for that race will be deemed null and void and all entrants with a selection in that race will advance to the next racing day without a lifeline being lost, or an elimination loss occurring. Every effort will be made to notify participants of cancellation via e-mail or website notice. CAUTION: Tampa Bay Downs and its partners reserve the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with or attempts to corrupt the entry process, or the operation of the “10 Days of Festivus” contest or website, or acts in a disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other participant. Any attempt to defraud the “10 Days of Festivus” administrators or contestants will result in disqualification and all decisions by Tampa Bay Downs in the administration of the “10 Days of Festivus” are final.
INTERNET TECHNOLOGY PROBLEMS:
Tampa Bay Downs is not responsible for lost, interrupted, unavailable, defective or damaged hardware or software; electric, wireless, or telephone transmissions or technical failures; garbled transmissions; or the unavailability of its website or any website associated with the “10 Days of Festivus.” Tampa Bay Downs promises to make every effort to notify you via e-mail of any technical failures and updates. However, due to the unpredictable nature of present, state-of-the-art computer technology, server outages may occur, resulting in your elimination from the contest. We regret this unfortunate possibility. By agreeing to the terms and conditions of the “10 Days of Festivus” herein, you fully recognize that Tampa Bay Downs, and its vendors, are not responsible for such errors.
PRIZES:
Prizes will be awarded based on the highest final bankroll totals based on pari-mutuel payouts from a $2 across-the-board wager ($2 win, place & show) for each player’s selections.
- GRAND PRIZE: $1,000 Cash.
- SECOND PLACE: $500 Cash.
Prize winners determined ineligible to participate in the “10 Days of Festivus” will be disqualified from that position and the player with the next highest category total will be accordingly awarded.