Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and RingGame, Inc. ("RingGame", "we", "us"). They cover the RingGame website, web app and any related services (together, the "Service"). By creating an account or using the Service you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, the Official Rules and the Community guidelines. If you don't agree, please don't use the Service.

RingGame is a platform for competitive pool (billiards). It lets players arrange and record matches, join tournaments run by venues and organisers, have results verified by referees ("Ringmasters"), earn ratings and appear on leaderboards, chat, and get support. Venues use it to list their location and run events.

RingGame is a software service. We don't own or operate venues, and we are not responsible for what happens at a venue, including its premises, equipment, food, drink or staff.

• You must be at least 18 years old. The Service is not directed to anyone under 18 and we will close accounts we learn belong to a minor.
• The Service is currently offered in the United States only.
• You must give accurate sign-up information and keep it up to date.
• One person, one account. Accounts are personal and can't be shared, sold or transferred.
• You can't use RingGame if we have previously suspended or removed your account, unless we agree otherwise.

You are responsible for activity on your account and for keeping your password safe. Tell us right away at play@ringgame.com if you think someone else has accessed your account. We may require you to verify your email address, and we may ask for additional verification before granting certain roles.

Every account starts as a Player. Other roles are granted, and can be removed, at our discretion:

• Ringmasters referee matches, verify results and rule on disputes. They must apply impartially and follow the Ringmaster & dispute rules.
• Venue owners represent a real venue they are authorised to act for. Venue listings are reviewed by a regional manager before they go live. Venue owners are responsible for the accuracy of their listing and for the events they host.
• Regional managers and administrators are RingGame staff or appointees who oversee venues, support and moderation.

Holding a role doesn't make you an employee or agent of RingGame.

• You agree to play under the Official Rules and any house rules shown for a match or tournament.
• Results must be reported honestly. A ranked result becomes official only after it is confirmed and verified (or ruled on), as described in the rules.
• Ringmaster rulings are final within the Service, subject to the escalation process in the rules. Staff may correct results that were recorded in error or obtained through cheating, and may adjust or reset affected ratings.
• Ratings, rankings, badges and stats are provided for entertainment and competitive purposes. They are not a guarantee of skill and have no cash value.
• Your rating, record and rank may be shown on leaderboards and share pages. You can limit this with the Public profile setting (see the Privacy Policy).

Tournaments are organised by venues, Ringmasters or other organisers, not by RingGame unless we say so. Organisers set the format, schedule, check-in requirements, entry fee and prizes, and are responsible for running the event and delivering any prizes they advertise. RingGame provides the software (brackets, check-in, scoring) but is not a party to arrangements between organisers and players.

RingGame does not currently offer wagering, escrow, a wallet or any real-money gaming. Any wager fields you may see are disabled. Don't use the Service to arrange, record or settle bets between players.

Tournament entry fees and prizes, where shown, are informational and are settled directly between you and the organiser, outside the Service. RingGame does not process those payments and is not responsible for them.

If we introduce paid features, memberships or any money-related feature in the future, they will be offered only where lawful, will be subject to separate terms you'll need to accept, and may require identity and age verification.

You agree not to:

• Cheat, fix or throw matches, collude, or manipulate ratings, rankings, referrals or handicaps.
• Create multiple accounts, impersonate anyone, or misrepresent your affiliation with a venue.
• Harass, threaten, abuse or discriminate against anyone, or post content that breaks the Community guidelines.
• Post anything unlawful, or anything you don't have the right to share.
• Share other people's personal information without their permission.
• Spam, advertise without permission, or run scams.
• Probe, scan, scrape, overload or interfere with the Service or its security, or access it by automated means except as we allow.
• Reverse-engineer the Service or use it to build a competing product.
• Misuse support, reporting or dispute tools (for example, filing false reports).

You keep ownership of what you post — profile details, photos, chat messages, dispute evidence, support messages, feedback and so on ("Your Content"). You give RingGame a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, display, reproduce and adapt Your Content as needed to operate, promote and improve the Service (for example, showing your profile and results to other users, or a share card of a tournament win). This licence ends when Your Content is deleted from the Service, except where it has been shared with others, is part of a match or tournament record, or must be kept for legal or safety reasons.

You are responsible for Your Content and confirm you have the right to post it. We may remove content or limit its visibility if we believe it breaks these Terms.

We, and moderators we appoint (for example venue owners in their venue's chat room), may review reported content, hide messages, apply slow mode, ban users from chat rooms, void results, remove role grants, or freeze, suspend or close accounts that break these Terms or put others at risk. Messages that receive several reports from different users may be hidden automatically pending review. Where reasonable we'll tell you what action was taken and why, and you can contact support if you think we got it wrong.

You may invite friends with your referral link. Referrals are tracked so we can show you who joined through your link and whether they've played their first match. Referrals currently earn no cash or prizes; if we add referral rewards they'll come with their own rules. Self-referrals, fake accounts and spam invitations are not allowed.

Share pages for public profiles, matches and tournaments can be viewed by anyone with the link.

If you subscribe to your personal calendar feed, anyone who has the feed URL can see the events in it. Keep it private, and reset it in the app if it is exposed. If you connect a third-party service (such as Google Calendar), your use of that service is governed by its own terms.

The Service — including software, design, logos, the RingGame name, and content we create such as these rules — belongs to RingGame or our licensors and is protected by law. We grant you a personal, non-transferable, revocable licence to use the Service for its intended purpose. Feedback you give us may be used without obligation to you.

RingGame is under active development and is rolling out city by city. Features may change, be paused or be removed, and the Service may occasionally be unavailable. We aren't liable for any loss caused by changes or downtime.

You can request deactivation at any time from Settings → Privacy. We may suspend or close your account if you break these Terms, if required by law, or to protect users or the Service. Sections that by their nature should survive (such as content licences already granted for records, disclaimers, limits of liability and disputes) continue after your account ends. See the Privacy Policy for what happens to your data.

Pool is a physical activity played at venues we don't control. You participate at your own risk and are responsible for your own conduct, safety and belongings.

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the fullest extent permitted by law, RingGame disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We don't guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure, or that ratings, results or other content will be accurate.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, RingGame and its officers, employees and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service or from the conduct of other users, venues or organisers. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim or US $100. Some jurisdictions don't allow these limits, so they may not fully apply to you.

You agree to defend and indemnify RingGame against claims, losses and costs (including reasonable legal fees) arising from Your Content, your use of the Service, or your breach of these Terms or of anyone's rights.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state in which RingGame, Inc. is organised, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Before filing any claim, please contact us at play@ringgame.com so we can try to resolve it informally. [Pending legal review: governing state, venue, arbitration and class-action terms to be confirmed by counsel.]

We may update these Terms. If a change is material we'll give notice in the app or by email before it takes effect. Continuing to use the Service after the effective date means you accept the updated Terms.

Questions about these Terms? Email play@ringgame.com or see Contact.