NFFC Message Boards

Greg,

How about starting a survivor league?

The CDM guys (the ones that don't pay out until you've forgotten you'd won about 6 months later) ran a contest this year, with a $15 entry fee (or $25 per for two teams) and had about 10,000 entries.

They offered a $10,000 prize, then added a second chance $5,000 prize (how generous of them, huh?). That is a pool of at least $125,000 with a $15,000 payout.

How about the NFFC offering:
1) a higher stakes survivor ($100?) with an NFFC-like 75-80% payoff, and
2) perhaps a mass market game with a respectable 50% payoff?

Could be a good marketing tactic for the NFFC's main events too, don't you think?

Anyone else interested in seeing Greg offer this?

Dear Last Man Standing participant,

Due to a variety of changing business factors in the online fantasy sports environment, CDM Fantasy Sports Corp. has made a decision to cease its offering of Last Man Standing and we are refunding all entry fees paid towards this game. We will not be offering this style of game in the future. However, we will keep the current Last Man Standing game for which you registered running and pay out the prizes for the 2006 season. In other words, you'll have the same chance to win the same cash prizes... but at no cost to you! You will be receiving your refund via a credit to your CDM account which can be used for future entries and player changes in CDM Fantasy Sports' games. We hope you enjoy the remainder of Last Man Standing and we look forward to continuing our relationship with you as a valued CDM Fantasy Sports customer.

curious move wouldnt you say, especially if it's such a $ maker. Any thoughts as to their bailing ?

Q

I hadn't seen that Quahogs ... was this an email, I don't see anything on their site?

I wonder if their attorneys are concerned it could be classified under online gambling?

[ October 23, 2006, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: KJ Duke ]

Interesting on both accounts. I actually promoted the Last Man Standing contest for Charlie as I figured some of you guys would like to do this and I didn't have a Survivor game. I didn't know they cancelled this. I'll call Charlie to see what's up with it.

Otherwise, Kevin, I like the idea and would love to add some side events for our NFFC members.

My take isn't that they weren't making money, the first reaction to reading is the lawyers stepped in. With CDM already having a target on it's back, probably made sense to not press their luck with the gambling/fantasy gaming line.

yes it was sent via email. I dont know regulation wise what has changed lately, I know CDM was bought out by another gaming site so maybe they had to ditch non-nfl player type contests. Though nothing has been said about their Winners Challenge which is a pick a team per week type contest too. The beauty of these suicide leagues is they're locally run and easily maintained with high 90% payout at least. IF, you trust who is running it. One crossed my desk (I never did enter) - $100 entry with about 1300-1400 entrants. Guy took 10% off the top. Nice work if you can get it !

Q

OK, I found the following analyzing the recently passed "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006".

Gambling defined for this bill:

Bet or wager includes risking something of value on the outcome of a contest, sports event "or a game subject to chance." (The "game subject to chance" restriction is designed to eliminate Internet poker).

Fantasy leagues are legal, but subject to detailed restrictions. A fantasy team cannot be "based on the current membership of an actual team." It looks like this language kills survivor leagues.

There is no limit on the cost of entering, but prizes must be announced in advance, and not based on the fees paid by participants. This seems to have been in the NFFC model previously, though I'm not sure if it was a gray area before, it certainly isn't now.

Statistics must be derived from more than one play, more than one player, and more than one real-world event.This would, I guess, eliminte one-player fantasy teams.

[ October 23, 2006, 05:02 PM: Message edited by: KJ Duke ]

Also of interest, nice to see the well-thought out legislative process in action ...

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was rammed through Congress by the Republican leadership in the final minutes before the election period recess. According to Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ), no one on the Senate-House Conference Committee had even seen the final language of the bill.... in an attempt to appease the "moral" right wing.

great work KJD. Thanks for the clarification.

specific "fantasy sports" exemptions from what is considered gambling (from the actual bill) ...

(ix) participation in any fantasy or simulation sports game or educational game or contest in which no fantasy or simulation sports team is based on the current membership of an actual team that is a member of an amateur or professional sports organization ... and that meets the following conditions:

(I) All prizes and awards offered to winning participants are established and made known to the participants in advance of the game or contest and their value is not determined by the number of participants or the amount of any fees paid by those participants.

(II) All winning outcomes reflect the relative knowledge and skill of the participants and are determined predominantly by accumulated statistical results of the performance of individuals ... in multiple real-world sporting or other events.

(III) No winning outcome is based--

(aa) on the score, point-spread, or any performance or performances of any single real-world team or any combination of such teams; or

(bb) solely on any single performance of an individual athlete in any single real-world sporting or other event. Survivor is definitely out unless we could come up with a player-based survivor contest.

[ October 23, 2006, 06:31 PM: Message edited by: KJ Duke ]