Prize Splits in Magic Online

by News | posted at 2010-08-10 22:44:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Magic the Gathering, Magic Online, MTGO, MOL, MODO, Prize Splits

Wizards of the Coast employee and Magic Online specialist Lee Sharpe posted a link on Twitter Tuesday that highlighted the policy regarding prize splits on Magic Online. The tweet, which he clarified later, was not a change in policy but rather a reminder of what present policy regarding splits and Magic Online IS. Here's what the policy is:

"In general, Magic Online falls under the same basic Collusion and Bribery rules as paper: Altering the outcome of any Magic Online event in exchange for or influenced by the offer of reward or other incentive is not allowed and violates the Terms of Service.

Players who wish to share prizes in an event may only do so in the FINAL ROUND of that event. Any prize sharing negotiation or offer to change or alter the result of a match in any round that is not the final round of an event can be considered Collusion or Bribery and is a violation of the Code of Conduct.

When negotiating to share prizes in the final round of the event, ONLY THE TOTAL PRIZES ALLOTTED for first and second place (including Qualifier Points) may be discussed. While match concessions CANNOT be a part of this negotiation, players may discuss which place gets which prizes and which prizes they prefer. Any offers to 'sweeten the pot' by adding something extra, either within Magic Online or outside of the game system, is a violation of the Code of Conduct and may result in administrative action being taken against the players involved and their Magic Online accounts, up to and including account termination.

Magic Online does not currently recommend, endorse, or support prize sharing in any way. Any prize sharing negotiation is made at each player's own risk. Players should never negotiate a prize share unless they know and trust the player they are negotiating with. Please note that offering a prize share more than once in any match may be considered harassment and a violation of the Terms of Service. Magic Online also reserves the right to evaluate any prize share negotiation and take administrative action on a case-by-case basis."

The stance is similar to the one that exists for real world Magic, which prohibits players from splitting prizes other than those guaranteed by the rules. Bribery is strictly forbidden.

The original policy statement from Wizards of the Coast can be found here.

You can follow Lee Sharpe on Twitter at Twitter.com/Lee_Sharpe.

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