Ohio Treasure Haunt Official Rules (10/14/23)
Terms and Conditions
THE TREASURE HAUNT IS A SKILL-BASED CONTEST AND AT NO POINT WILL A WINNER BE CHOSEN RANDOMLY IN A DRAW.
PARTICIPATION CONSTITUTES PARTICIPANT’S FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL AGREEMENT TO AND ACCEPTANCE OF THESE "OFFICIAL RULES"
By participating in the Treasure Haunt either as an official entrant or team member agree that the Sponsor shall not bear any liability for, and Participants agree to release, indemnify, and hold Sponsor harmless from any losses, damages, claims, actions, and any liability of any kind resulting from participation. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.
Sponsor: OHIO TREASURE HAUNT
Sponsor’s Website: www.ohiotreasurehaunt.com
ABOUT THE TREASURE HAUNT: The Ohio Treasure Haunt is a real life interactive treasure hunt that includes elements of escape rooms. Participants purchase a "Haunt Bag" which includes items and clues necessary to solve a series of riddles. The riddles are released separately on a specified date and time. The riddles and clues will lead you to real life locations in Ohio, while others can be solved at home. The riddles will ultimately reveal the exact location of the "treasure" somewhere in Ohio. Participants must use their own skill and intellect in order to solve the riddles and claim the prize.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE: The Ohio Treasure Haunt is open to legal residents of the United States who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of registration, or at least the age of majority in the state where they reside. A participant does not have to be a resident of Ohio in order to participate. Any persons who are involved in the creation and development of the Treasure Haunt are ineligible to play including their immediate family members and other members of their household.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Purchase of a Haunt Bag on the Sponsor’s website is required to participate. Access to the internet and a valid email is required to participate.
Haunt Bags will ship one to two weeks prior to the start of the event. Participants and their team are permitted to look at the contents of the bag and start working on the Treasure Haunt if they so choose. Some elements of the game may be able to be solved before the official start date. Due to the inconsistencies with the United States Postal Service, the Ohio Treasure Haunt does not guarantee that the Haunt Bags will arrive to each of the teams on the exact same day.
A password to the “Riddle Page” on the Sponsor’s website will be included in the Haunt Bag. On the day of the event, the accompanying riddles will be released according to the following schedule:
Riddle Schedule:
Riddle #1-2: (10/14/23) - 9:00am EST
Riddle #3-4 (10/14/23) - 10:00am EST
RIddle #5: (10/14/23) - 11:00am EST
The Sponsor is in no way responsible for any extra costs accrued by the Participant and their teams as a result of participating in the Treasure Haunt.
A maximum number of 490 registrants will be permitted for the event. If fewer than 275 Haunt Bags are purchased, the Treasure Haunt event will be canceled and all participants will be notified by email and will receive a full refund.
If the treasure is not found within 24 hours a hint will be released the next day (Sunday) at 10:00am EST. If it is not found within a week, hints will be released every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00am EST until it is found.
CONTINGENCIES: In the unlikely event the game becomes compromised, a contingency plan has been put in place. Situations that might lead to this contingency plan include but are not limited to: critical clue locations becoming inaccessible, Treasure Item being removed, situations where a winner cannot be fairly determined, etc. If the Sponsor is unable to address the situation in an acceptable and fair manner, a “Sudden Death” round will be announced. On the following Saturday/Sunday (whichever comes first) a new Treasure Item will be hidden and one new riddle will be released at 10:00am. The one riddle will lead to one location where a Treasure Item is hidden. The first person to retrieve the item will be declared the winner. The Sponsor reserves the right to make changes to the game as needed for purposes of fairness and integrity. The decisions of the Ohio Treasure Haunt are final.
WEATHER: The Ohio Treasure Haunt will go on regardless of weather. In the event of dangerous or inclement weather, participants play at their own risk. Refund requests due to weather are not accepted.
PARTICIPANT CONDUCT: Participants agree to conduct themselves at the highest possible standard while playing. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify a participant for any reason. Participants will not trespass, or in any manner attempt to gain access to any property or location where they do not have a right or permission to be, and will not otherwise engage in any activity that may result in injury, death, property damage, nuisance, or liability of any kind.
Pictures of the Haunt Bag and its contents ARE permitted to be shared on social media. The password to the Riddle Page and the contents of the Riddle Page ARE NOT permitted to be shared with anyone besides the members of the team. Failure to comply with these guidelines can lead to disqualification from the event.
TEAMS AND COLLABORATIONS: If a Participant chooses to work in a team, that individual is responsible for making sure all of their members read and agree to follow these Official Rules. The purchase of only one Haunt Bag is necessary per team. The Ohio Treasure Haunt has not specified the maximum number of participants who can participate on one team. If the Ohio Treasure Haunt finds that this aspect of the game is being taken advantage of, a mechanism may be put into place to limit the number of players that can play on a team for future events. The purchase of additional bags WILL NOT increase your chances of winning. Only registered participants are eligible to redeem the prize.
ENTRY PERIOD: A purchase of a Haunt Bag is required for entry into the Treasure Haunt. Haunt Bags can be purchased on the Sponsor’s website from 08/01/23 - 10/01/23 or until supply runs out.
WINNER DETERMINATION: To win the Ohio Treasure Haunt, the participant must find the Treasure Item with a unique code engraved on it. The Finder must contact the Treasure Haunt Gamemaster at gamemaster@ohiotreasurehaunt.com with the code in the subject line of the email. A picture of the Treasure Item and other additional information may be requested for verification purposes. The Sponsor will verify the Finders eligibility to win. At no time will the Winner be selected by a random draw. The Ohio Treasure Haunt is a game of skill. A notification that a winner has been declared will be put on the Riddle Page and social media. If the Winner is disqualified from claiming the prize for any reason including but not limited to poor participant conduct, failure to follow these Official Rules, etc., Sponsor shall follow the contingency plan as described above. Sponsor alone holds the final say in declaring a Winner.
PRIZES: One (1) cash prize of $5,000 will be awarded to the Winner.
Winners are required to submit a photocopy or picture of their ID along with a W9 to the Ohio Treasure Haunt in order to claim the prize. Sensitive information, including social security numbers, are stored on a secure cloud-based server. The Ohio Treasure Haunt does not store hard copies of sensitive information. Winners will receive an IRS Form 1099 for the year in which the prize is awarded in the amount of the prize received. To comply with applicable laws, the Sponsor will be required to submit Form 1099-MISC to the IRS for the year in which the prize is awarded in the amount of the prize received. The Winner must release his/her SSN or TIN to the Ohio Treasure Haunt as part of IRS reporting requirements. The Ohio Treasure Haunt does not keep hard copies of the 1099-MISC. Documents with sensitive information are kept on a secure cloud-based server per Ohio Treasure Haunt policy.
The Winner solely is responsible for all federal, state, local, and other taxes on receipt of the prize. Sponsor shall not be responsible for any taxes, fees, or assessments on any prize winnings.
The Winner shall be responsible for complying with any and all applicable statutes, laws (including, without limitation, common law, if applicable), rules and regulations and for bearing any personal income tax, withholding taxes, or other taxes, fees, insurance, surcharges or other costs relating to receiving, claiming or collecting any prize. The winner is hereby informed of the liability to pay all taxes on the prize received; such taxes shall be paid by the winner. Each winner shall be responsible for reporting his or her individual income tax generated from the prize to relevant tax authorities on his or her own. Sponsor is not responsible for the tax obligation of the Winner.
RELEASE: By participating in the Treasure Haunt either as an official entrant or team member agree that the Sponsor shall not bear any liability for, and Participants agree to release, indemnify, and hold Sponsor harmless from any losses, damages, claims, actions, and any liability of any kind resulting from participation. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. All applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.
WINNERS LIST: The name and picture of the Winner and city from which the Haunt Bag was purchased will be posted to the Sponsor’s website after winner confirmation is complete. Releasing the name, city, and picture of the Winner is a requirement to claim the prize.
DISCLAIMER: This Treasure Haunt is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or any third-party. Use of their trademarks or intellectual property is incidental to this promotion.