Back On Track - The Game™

Here is a quick summary of what this means.

As you will recall, our game is currently in the "BOT Pre-Game Special Days" stage of BOT's overall pre-game phase. Before the rains came we've had no losers whatsoever during the entire two-years plus of this phase. This has been made possible by substantial funding underwritten by the folks who lease the rights to this game from General Neoteric Corporation. (These folks expect profits - big profits - from their investment in the game at some point down the road from now, when the game proper begins and commercial advertising is embedded into the gameplay.)

Recently, however, events external to the game have made it necessary for those folks to request that payments to BOT Players be suspended for an as yet undetermined length of time.

We can't be specific, but they found a bigger and better deal elsewhere. Short-lived as that deal might be, it will pay them an immediate (and huge) return on their investment for as long as that opportunity is working for them.  Although it means we have to wait this out with no gameplay and no payments, when this current opportunity of theirs no longer pays off for them, and when (and if) they do authorize an end to this Official BOT Rain Delay, they'll have a ton more money to continue underwriting this "no losers" stage of our game. That would be a good thing, wouldn't it?

The technical effect of this is that an Official BOT Rain Delay means everything about the game remains as it always was, except that further payments to Players have not yet been scheduled.

The practical effect of a BOT Rain Delay, however, is the one that oughtta matter most to Players. And practically, we cannot say with certainty when, or even if, payments to Players will resume. As a result, we would strongly advise Players to seriously consider a gameplay strategy in which Plays are held off and not made during the BOT Rain Delay.

There will be sufficient time given when (and if) the Official BOT Rain Delay is over to allow Players to make Plays and ask that they be credited to days whose Prizes have not yet been determined by the game's Judge. (That means Players can, at that time, get caught up on Plays that they didn't make during the BOT Rain Delay.)

We understand that despite the above, some Players feel they might miss some kind of special bonus if they do not continue to make Plays during this Official BOT Rain Delay. While that is always a possibility (hey, this is BOT, remember?) we still strongly suggest that holding off on making any Plays for now, even minimal Plays, is, by far, the safest strategy, and may well prove to be the best strategy.

The BOT Rain Delay does not mean the game is over, closed, or has changed in any fundamental way. It is merely a way to preserve the pre-game phase of the game where it was until the the folks who lease the game and pay its bills finish their dance with that other opportunity and come back home to BOT. Until then. to preserve the game in its entirety means all aspects of the game must remain the same, including the ability for Players to make Plays. But just because Plays can still be made doesn't necessarily make it a good idea to make them at this time. Got it?

We hope you catch our drift, so to speak.

We'll let you know right here when (and if) the situation changes.

Thank you for your understanding and paitence.

As if the Official BOT Rain Delay wasn't frustrating enough, e-gold operations have been, for all practical purposes, suspended.

As you know, BOT gameplay is accounted in e-gold, expressed in terms of USD. Without the functionality of e-gold there is no way for players to make plays, or for the game to make payments to winning players.

Unfortunately, at present there is no e-gold functionality. Bummer, huh?

Consequently, until e-gold resolves its issues, it doesn't matter if it is raining here at BOT.

As an aside, BOT's parent company, General Neoteric Corporation, began working on an alternative payment system of its own long before e-gold had its issues, in anticipation of this very set of circumstances. GN discovered the potential for U.S. Government intervention - the same intervention that eventually crippled e-gold - was great and although not insurmountable, it is far from a casual endeavor. Further development of a GN operated payment system is pending the outcome of e-gold's tribulations.

What happened to e-gold? In May, 2007, U.S. Federal criminal charges were brought against e-gold, its affiliated companies, and its Directors. The indictment included charges of conspiracy to launder money, operate an unlicensed money transmitter business, and so on. Even allowing e-gold to be used for child pornography, financial scams, and credit card fraud was alleged.

You may have heard all kinds of rumors about this, but for the facts, please review the actual federal Grand Jury indictment here:

http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ceos/Press%20Releases/DC%20egold%20indictment.pdf

e-gold obviously denied the charges and eventually this criminal case was resolved. We'll avoid political commentary here; suffice it to report that part of the resolution included e-gold accepting and admitting that they were, indeed a financial institution as defined by U.S. law and as such were subject to licensure and regulation by the applicable agencies, both Federal and state.

Therein lies the rub. It ain't easy to become a proper financial institution due to the myriad rules, laws, and regulations. While the Federal Government and each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia all have their own rules requiring specific compliance, the bigger issue - and the one that affects you the most - is the now required implementation of an e-gold "Customer Identification Program."

The requirements to be an e-gold customer now are not unlike those needed to open an account at a U.S. bank. There will be the need for certain documentary evidence to be presented, as well as other verifications, including those insuring your use of the system is not for illegal purposes. These requirements are retroactive. That means that if you presently have e-gold, you will have to provide the appropriate identification in order to receive, spend or out-exchange your e-gold at such time when those abilities are reactivated.

We urge you to visit the e-gold site for specifics:

http://www.e-gold.com/

Follow the links on that page for any late announcements, and also read the various news and blog pages there for specifics on your obligation to comply with their Customer Identification Program.

Note two things:

1. It is your obligation to contact e-gold. They will not be calling you. If you wish to maintain your e-gold account(s) and any e-gold therein, you must do this.

2. There has been a change in their monthly Agio Fee (which is like a monthly service fee.) It had been 1% annually, assessed monthly on your e-gold balance. That has been lowered to .5% annually for those account holders who have fully complied with the various Customer Identification Program requirements, but has been raised to a whopping 10% annually for account holders not yet in full compliance!

To avoid this accelerated erosion of any e-gold you may still have in your account(s) you need to tend to this sooner rather than later.  Again, see the e-gold website for specifics.

You know that Back On Track - The Game is owned by General Neoteric Corporation, but the rights to the game are leased, now on an annual basis, to two individual investors who then hired GN to operate it for them and tend to the day-to-day operations. While these folks generally rely upon GN to make the decisions necessary to optimize the game, they retain the right and power to control how it is run, including the various phases of the game as well as Official BOT Rain Delays.

On September 30, 2009, these folks renewed the license agreement for another year and asked that the Official BOT Rain Delay be continued until further notice. They are aware of the situation at e-gold, but based upon our assessment of the situation they expressed total faith that Dr. Jackson and his team at e-gold will eventually be, well, back on track.

You might have noticed this website was unavailable for anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending where in the world you are. We've simply moved to a different server to better integrate BOT with other General Neoteric properties.

Of note is that Geocities, a Yahoo! property that housed our independent BOT Update Archive ceased operations in October, 2009.

Until we integrate those archives into the rest of this Back On Track - The Game website, and do some other updating here as well, this page is the only one published for public view at present.

You didn't think we would disappear, did you? Hey, this is Back On Track - The Game!!

Yeah, even though we're in an Official BOT Rain Delay, we better remind you of this stuff. Just sayin'...

You need to be an adult to play.

BOT days run concurrent with the UTC days.

BOT Gameplay is accounted in E-Gold, expressed in terms of USD. Minimum single Play $25. There is no maximum to the total you may Play per UTC day, but we trust you won't go stupid and squander the homestead. All Plays must be in exact $5 increments, and must be expressed in USD.

Risk what you wish but some players may think it wise to spread the stash allocated for Gameplay over successive days, or over a number of days, until further aspects of the game are revealed. Some players may not.

It may also be wise to check your heart, emotions, character, and ethics at the door. This game isn't just for adults - it's for grown-up adults who can differentiate between real life and a rough and tumble game. OK, there might not be much difference there, but you get the point.

This is a game with no guarantees, and is not a religious or humanitarian endeavor. It is for the enjoyment of our Players, and for the profit of the owners and operators. As a game of skill, wits, and cunning, it is neither gambling nor investing; as such you may win, you may lose. Be prepared for each. Don't thank us if you win; don't blame us if you lose. Do not risk in Play what you cannot afford to lose. The game's history is in no way necessarily indicative of its future. ALL IS FAIR! Know that the rules can change at any time. Do not believe everything you read here. It is entirely possible that nothing we say is true, including this statement. We promise nothing. All your Gold are belong to us. If after reading this you still decide to make a Play, your doing so acknowledges that you understand, agree, and accept that you may lose the entire amount. If any part of this is not understandable, agreeable, or acceptable to you, DO NOT PLAY!!

Only information contained on this website, in Official Updates (as they appear on our various websites and publications) or contained in direct communication from our staff should be deemed official. And even then, you gotta wonder if we are giving you the straight dope.

All Plays are final. There are no refunds. There is no recourse if you lose, no matter how the loss came about. Think before you act.

When Gold is in your E-Gold account it is yours, and when it's in our E-Gold account, it is ours.

Read both the UPDATE and the REMINDER sections in the latest BOT Official Update (when available) for current payout schedules and state of the game.

This is a Pay to Play Neoteric Game.™ You may win more or less than your Entry Fee.

Back On Track - The Game is a daycentric game. That means that all Plays made on the same UTC day by all Players win the same Prize. Prizes are expressed as a percentage of your Play. That is, on any given Play Day all Players win (or lose) the exact same percentage of whatever Play they made. The Prize is based upon what kind of day the Play Day was determined to be by the game's Judge, whose decision will be published about five Pay Days from the date of your Play, on the day that the Prize is to be awarded. There are three kinds of possible Play Days: Nice Days, BOT Bonus Days, and Bad Hair Days, and any given Play Day will be judged to be one of those three kinds of Play Days. The Prizes are described in the Prizes section which is currently on a different web page, but since Prizes are why lots of Players Play, we thought we had better repeat it here. The Prize for making a Play on a day eventually judged to be a Nice Day is presently 200% of your Play, paid in about 40 installments of about 5%. The Prize for a BOT Bonus Day is anywhere from 101% of your Play up to 600% of your Play or more. And the Prize for a Bad Hair Day is from 0% to 100% of your Play. You do understand the 0% to 100% part, don't you? Do we tell you what kind of day it will be before you make your Play that day? If we did, this wouldn't be a game, would it. Figuring out how to figure that out before you make a Play is the whole point of the game! How do some Players seem to know in advance what kind of day it will be? They work at it. Is that difficult work? Ask them.

If you wanna Play, you are obligated to do a few things on your own. You gotta read each and every Official Update, and any other Official information we provide. You gotta determine if it is legal for you to Play, based upon where you are at the moment. And you gotta pay any taxes that may be due on your winnings. Oh, and you gotta find out if there is anything else you gotta find out before making a Play. And, finally, you gotta agree that you could pay an Entry Fee, Play, and win zip, nada, zilch, zero, nothing. In other words, you could lose everything. If you don't agree, you cannot Play. If you do Play, it means you do agree. Get it? If you don't, that also means you cannot Play.

By making a Play in Back On Track - The Game, either by using the form on the Back On Track - The Game website or by making a Play directly through the e-gold website, you acknowledge that you understand and agree with all of the following:

(Yeah, it's true, we don't have any of this in a written agreement with you, because this is an internet thing. But, geez, we've said it zillions of times in a ton of places, so you would be hard pressed to later say you were clueless as to what you were doing here. Still, if not having this in writing bothers you, print this page! And if that still isn't enough? DON'T PLAY!!)

For the record, Back On Track - The Game is a - surprise - GAME.

It is not an investment, per se. It isn't even an investment per the various Securities Acts, those of 1933 and 1934 among them. On the other hand, you may call the expenditure of your time and other resources on this Game what you wish. Shakespeare said it best, however, "Call it what you will, Rosie, it is still a Game."

It is also not a gamble. Ok, we know that walking across the street can be a gamble, but you know that we mean in a legal sense. There is no random chance, lot, luck, roll of the dice, spin of a wheel, turn of a card, or other unalterable event involved. Like a contest, our real live human Judge decides the outcome, and he ain't some lady named Luck.

This is a cerebral GAME decided by the algorithm the Judge uses, and not chance. You win based upon skill, wit, guts, cunning, strategy, tactics, bluffing, misdirection, logic, and the like - a little bit chess, a little bit tug 'o war, a little bit steal the bacon, a little bit poker, a ton of human nature, and how you torque the Judge. Kinda like life, huh?

Now let's all say this together one more time: Decisions in Back On Track - The Game are entirely based upon Gameplay, and none on chance, lot, luck, investments, or on the backs of someone else's efforts.

We promise nothing.

OK. Technically we gotta promise something in return, so how about this - we promise, on a best effort basis, to provide fine internet gaming entertainment.

So much for the record.

If you do not fully understand, agree with, and accept the above, no point in reading further. Go elsewhere and have a Nice Day.

If you sort of understand the above, but are not 100% sure, stop reading here and do some research. Look up gambling law and investing and so on, or ask a professional in those fields you know and trust. Then come back here and Play, but only if you are certain that this is a Game - a competition amongst Players, and not an investment or a gamble. Please get this right, because we don't want you to make a fool out of yourself later and tell others you thought you were gambling or that you had made some kind of investment, when, in fact, you hadn't, and were really trying to beat some other Player out of his Gold on the internet by playing an online Pay to Play Neoteric Game™.

OK. Here is the stuff your making a Play says you accept:

I understand and agree that Back On Track - The Game is a GAME, and I could, based solely on my gameplay, either win a Prize or lose my Entry Fee.

I understand and agree that Back On Track - The Game is not an investment, security, loan, note, trust, program, or anything of the sort, but is just a game in which I have chosen to compete for a Prize, said Prize being pretty much some other Player's Gold, and not the fruits of someone else's efforts.

I understand and agree that Back On Track - The Game is not gambling, because it is my ability to Play and compete, along with those abilities of the other Players, that affects who wins, and not random chance or luck of the draw.

I understand and agree and categorically state that I am Playing solely for fun; that I have only personal and no professional interest in Playing; and that I have no expectation of profit whatsoever, however nice that may be. OK. I have to be honest. I am hoping to win once in a while. Geez, the honesty's too much! I admit that I am hoping to win a ton! If I don't, I blame only myself no matter what.

I understand and agree that Back On Track - The Game has promised me nothing save for making some effort to provide me fine internet gaming entertainment. And I admit that I am easily amused. In fact, I really look forward to reading the latest BOT Official Update.

I understand and agree that Back On Track - The Game is played entirely using E-Metal, and not in any national currency. Amounts are expressed in USD for reference only. I know that Entry Fees in any form, including any national currency, other than the E-Metal as specified from time to time will not be accepted and will be forfeited. At present, I understand that the E-Metal specified is e-gold.

I categorically state that I am an adult, and not just as legally defined by age in the jurisdiction where I live, but I think and act like a grown up, too. I make my own decisions, and I take responsibility for my own actions. I don't blame others when I mess up. No one is forcing me to enter the competition in Back On Track - The Game, and I know that by playing I might get my figurative butt figuratively kicked. I understand, agree, and accept that I could lose my entire Entry Fee every time I Play. I also understand that others could be mean to me and even call me names. No matter what happens I will take it like an adult and will try not to cry. OK. Sometimes even big men cry, but you know what we mean.

I understand and agree that I have no idea who really owns Back On Track - The Game, nor do I have any idea where they are located, but I accept that. Moreover, I don't care one iota who owns Back On Track - The Game.

I categorically state that, to the best that I can determine, it is legal for me to Play Back On Track - The Game here where I am contemplating my strategy and tactics, and making my Plays.

If I actually make a Play, it means I have read all of the above, and I understand it, I agree with it, I accept it, and I agree to be bound by it.