The document discusses bribery and collusion in Magic tournaments. It defines bribery as offering incentives to influence match outcomes, and collusion as secret agreements, especially for dishonest reasons. The document notes that current Magic Tournament Rules prohibit these behaviors and mandate disqualification for infractions. It raises questions about what constitutes an intentional draw versus collusion, and whether the rules should explicitly mention splitting prizes. The document also discusses challenges in enforcing these rules and preventing corruption in the community.

1. BRIBERY AND COLLUSION
Yakup Çakmak

2. WHAT HAPPENED IN ISTANBUL IN MY FIRST
WMCQ?

3. The act of giving someone money or
something else of value, often illegally, to
persuade that person to do something
you want.
CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY
Bribery
Agreement, especially in secret for an
illegal or dishonest reason.
Collusion

4. INFRACTION
PROCEDURE GUIDE
A player offers an incentive to entice an opponent into
conceding, drawing, or changing the results of a match, or
accepts such an offer.

5. The decision to drop, concede,
or agree to an intentional draw
cannot be made in exchange for
or influenced by the offer of any
reward or incentive. Unless the
player receiving such an offer
calls for a judge immediately,
both players will be penalized in
the same manner.
MAGIC TOURNAMENT RULES
(5.2)
Players may not reach an
agreement in conjunction with
other matches.
Players can make use of
information regarding match or
game scores of other tables.

6. Caleb Durward’s disqualification due to
split/concede in PTQ Ohio, 2015
Bribery
Sebastian Thaler and Klaus Jöns’s
disqualification due to discussing concede
due to who has better chance in Top 8
Collusion

7. Bribery and Collusion causes the players
which don’t deserve the “reward” to get the
reward therefore upsetting the deserving
players and causing community to corrupt.

8. The only way to enforce a rule is to
punish its infraction by a penalty that is
greater than the advantage you’re
trying to get. If you’re trying to optimize
your prizing, the only penalty suited is
to get you out of the prizing, which is
the end result of a disqualification.
Anything else would make Bribery too
attractive.

9. INTENTIONAL DRAW:
A player accepting ID does this in order to get to
Top 8. He does it in order to get more prize. Why this does
not count as Collusion?

10. Intention draws the moral line....

11. Do only Players bribe?
What about Tournament Organizers, other Staff, Judges….

12. Splitting prizes is okay. But what happens if someone concedes after
split?
Do we require “Split” in MTR and IPG?

13. PROS
-Most of the players don’t know and don’t
want to know the difference between an
innocent drop and bribery
-Sometimes there is no difference.
-Sometimes there is a player base who
already wants to concede to the “guy”
-Less work for Judge!
CONS
-Bribery involves corruption. More corrupted
community leads to a worse enviroment.
-Players eager to play/win in the tournament
left behind by bribers.
-Players using the information of other
matches or agreeing with other matches takes
the chance away from players who are not
involved in collusion.
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE REMOVE BRIBERY//COLLUSION
FROM MTR?

14. If you suspect a community is into bribery:
● Talk to Tournament Organizer
● Talk to new players
● Learn who is the favorite player, who is
least liked, who has done it before etc.

15. If you suspect someone bribing people:
● Let people watch the match.
● Split tables away before top 8.
● Send someone if they go out.

16. Don’t forget: You have right to don’t let
them go somewhere you can’t hear.

17. Drew Levin was playing for the Top 8
in Columbus and Craig Wescoe was
jockeying for a top 16 finish. Drew won
the match and then uttered the
immortal phrase “[A friend] laid me on
50-to-1 for the Grand Prix and I took
him on for $10.