OK everybody - heads up ! I'm usually pretty lax when it comes to contest here. Too lax it seems. If it had not been reported I would have missed it altogether. That's my bad. The problem is that some of you have been trying hold a contest where those entering have to pay to enter the contest, and in one of them even pay for the prize you won ! So make sure you get this clear in your heads ! There can never be a contest held where it cost those entering the contest anything - not 1 red cent ! Those entering do not pay for shipping, they do not pay handling charges - they do not pay anything. Period ! If you want to hold the contest, fine, be my guest. But by doing so you agree to provide the prize, and you agree to pay all shipping, handling, insurance if you want it - and anything else you can think of. Raffles are illegal. No raffles ever, of any kind ! There can never be a contest where those entering put anything into the pot for the winner. That is gambling ! And it is illegal ! All contest are to held with the sponsor/holder of the contest giving away the prize - for free. 100% FREE ! edit - if anyone ever sees a contest posted here that you think might violate the rules or what I have described above - REPORT IT ! Immediately !
Thanks, I was wondering where I can go to close the contest idea, I first asked before I made it a contest. Found out later that raffles are off so I asked how I can close it but had no answer. Thanks. ~Cannyn
The best way to do that is to send me a PM. (I closed it yesterday) Anytime you have a question, about anything, send me a PM. Or anytime you are not sure if something is permitted, just ask. But if you ask in the thread, there is a chance it will be missed. The mods can't read every single thread and every post every single day - it just can't be done. And 99% of the time it's not necessary that they do. But that 1% of the time, some things do slip through the radar.
"not numismatically related" contests. I am just trying to get clarification on what this means. We have seen two threads closed recently for this reason: the Spin to Win contest and an NFL contest. Even though these contests were giving out numismatic prizes, it seems that they were closed because the way to win those prizes were not numismatically related. However, at the very top of the contest thread are open contests for guessing how many medals a country will win in the Olympics, hardly different from the NFL thread, and one for people to guess the mileage of a car. Are these really any more numismatically related than the other threads that have been closed? I have run a contest on here for three years now around the March Madness Basketball tournament. When it comes around again next year, will it too be closed for these same reasons? If this is the case, can such contests be posted in the General Discussion forum? After all they are "off-topic" from the rest of contests being held. I am just trying to get some bearing on this shift in enforcement because this has been going on for, as I pointed out, years and enforcement seems to be a bit hit or miss to me. Can those of us who enjoy holding contests for our peers on this site get some clarification?
For players in the Spin To Win contest who have been looking forward to our announcement of another contest... Prior to the determination by the moderator that Spin To Win isn't enough 'numismatically related', I developed a new contest which uses U.S. Coin Symbols on the reels of the machine, and requires entrants to respond to a numismatically-related question in order to quality for prize-eligibility. The Coin Symbol Overlays have already been designed, and the Coin Images should be ready to use in the very near future. Since this new contest -- 'Silver And Gold Express' -- has not yet been officially announced, I've sent a Private Message to our moderator and I've asked whether these changes are sufficient to bring our popular contest within Coin Talk's numismatically-related contest requirements. Thanks to everyone for your continued interest. Randy
I agree here. The prizes were most definitely numismatic in nature and nobody ever paid a dime to enter or receive a prize. The discouragement of the generosity and effort expended in this magnitude of a contest seems very counter-productive. I'm glad it ended before being closed, because for it to be so popular for so long and then all of a sudden be considered 'not numismatically related' .... What the heck? We all appreciate your efforts thecointrader! Thank you !
I am posting my answer to thecointrader when he asked me the same question this morning. This is what he asked me - I have been developing new contest that is numismatically related, but used the slot machine. My plan is to overlay the reels with images of US Coins and have players answer a numismatic-related question about US Coins to qualify for a prize spin. Would such a contest be allowed, if in compliance with all Coin Talk rules? This is how I answered him. If you do what you just described - yes. I want you to understand, I'm not trying to be a hard case. On the contrary, it was my own fault for being too lenient and turning a blind eye if you will that things got out of hand in the first place. In the beginning all contest were numismatically related, and we didn't even have any rules for the Contest section back then. But when people started introducing contests that involved gambling, raffles, visiting other web sites to participate in the contests, etc etc - then we had to come up with rules. The old saying is true - give an inch and they will take a mile. So I'm trying to get things back on track - where they belong. This is the part that makes his new idea within the rules and have players answer a numismatic-related question about US Coins to qualify for a prize spin. Now, if you read the rules for the Contest section which are found in a sticky thread at the top of the section - http://www.cointalk.com/t5068/ - you will readily see that ALL contest must be numismatically related. Guessing the outcome of a slot machine spin has absolutely nothing to do with numismatics. The prize of any contest being a numismatic item does not make the contest itself numismatically related. And it is the contest itself that needs to be numismatically related. Those rules have been there for a long time, years. The only editing that I did on 7/29 of this year was to underline and make bold the parts that are underlined and bold. I did this because in recent times almost everybody has been ignoring those rules. Yes, I readily admit that I was letting everybody get away with doing that. That is my fault, my mistake. I am now trying to correct that mistake, which what you should do with mistakes. And like I said above, I am not trying to be a hard case here. An example of that is the Olympic Medal contest. Medals are numismatically related, and that is why I allowed the Olympic contest to stand. In other words I am trying to be as lenient as I can and allow as much latitude in the contests as I can - for you folks. But I have to draw the line someplace. We have rules for reasons, they are not just arbitrary.
I'm not trying to argue about this, but I just wanted a tiny bit more clarification. I really enjoyed Wiggams March madness contest this year. So does this mean it won't be allowed next year? The prize was a coin, and no one paid to enter so it wasn't gambling. But the contest itself was not coin related, it was basketball related with a coin as a prize. So in the future, the contest itself must be coin related? This is the only part I'm confused about. The rules against raffles and gambling make sense to me.
I guess I was only confused because I've seen alot of them over the years that violated that rule. Understood now. Thanks.
I would still like the question I posed about running a non-numismatically related contest in the off-topic forum answered. Would this be allowed since it is sort of considered an off-topic contest?
Actually that is not paying for a prize won. That is an auction where whomever is willing to pay the most, buys the item. That is different than gambling where I believe you need to have a license if you are not a charity. Raffles or lotteries are gambling. If there is no charge, it is a sweepstakes.
Whoever wants to pay the price, wins. Then they get to pay. I think it is a contest. Some play it as a sport.
To answer your question, contests are supposed to be posted in the Contest section, and only the Contest section.
will there be a prize for reporting illegal contest? and if so do we have to pay for the prize? lol j/k
okay, so i was just thinking, would it be okay to set up a kickstarter project (google it if you dont know what i am talking about) to raise money for some cool coin prizes for a contest here, and then promote the kickstarter project on cointalk? does that count as ''taking money for the prize'' thing that you talked about?
