Official Rules

STR82IT

The rules of play for the 2026 season.

Rules are cited by number, so Rule 2.6 means Part 2, Rule 6. Rules still being finalized, including prizes and some timing details, are not shown yet, and are posted with their effective date once settled. The entry fee is $40 per stop, due when you register. Payment and refunds are covered by the Terms of Registration.

Part 1 · The Game

1.1Court and boundaries.: Sidelines, baselines, and the half-court line are out of bounds. The three-point arc in use (college or NBA distance) is set by the venue and announced at the pre-game meeting.
1.2Scoring.: Shots inside the arc count one point. Shots outside the arc count two points. Free throws count one point.
1.5Starting possession.: A referee coin flip decides first possession. In a rematch or decider, the player who lost the flip receives first possession.
1.6Check-up.: All possessions begin with a referee-controlled check. The offensive player establishes both feet fully behind the three-point line and steps straight back to receive the ball. Lateral movement is not permitted. Defenders must allow a clean check. Self-checks are prohibited.
1.7Fifteen-second check-up.: After any made or missed basket, the offensive player has 15 seconds to retrieve the ball, establish both feet behind the arc, and be ready for the referee-initiated check. Failure to do so is a loss of possession.
1.8Dribble limit.: Four dribbles per possession. A fifth dribble is a turnover. Once dribbles are exhausted, the offensive player must attempt a shot within five seconds.
1.9Possession ends.: A possession ends on any shot attempt, turnover, free throw attempt, jump ball, tie-up, or violation. If the defender contacts the ball and it touches the floor, possession ends. If the offensive player regains control before the ball touches the floor, play continues with no dribbles remaining.
1.10Clearing.: On every change of possession, the new offensive player must re-establish both feet behind the arc before the check.
1.11Three seconds.: The three-second rule is enforced against the offensive player in the paint.
1.12Timeouts.: One 30-second timeout per player per game. Calling a timeout the player does not have is a technical foul.
1.14Readiness.: A player who is not prepared must say "not ready" before the check. Ball or equipment problems must be reported immediately.

Part 2 · Fouls, Free Throws, and Conduct

2.1Shooting fouls.: A shooting foul on a missed shot results in one free throw. If it is made, the offensive player keeps possession; if it is missed, possession changes. A shooting foul on a made basket does not produce a free throw; the basket counts.
2.2Take fouls.: A take foul is any foul committed to stop play without a legitimate basketball attempt. Take fouls result in two free throws. Possession resumes with a standard check-up.
2.3Multiple fouls.: Two fouls in the same possession result in one free throw, after which the foul count resets. A missed free throw is a turnover.
2.4Defensive contact.: One-hand contact is permitted on the catch. Two-hand contact, hands on shoulders, and excessive contact are fouls. Defenders must respect check-up space at all times.
2.5Free throw administration.: The defender occupies the designated lane spot and may not enter the lane until the ball is released.
2.6Technical fouls.: A first technical foul results in one free throw and loss of possession. A second and any subsequent technical results in two free throws and loss of possession. A third technical in the same game is a disqualification and removal from the bracket.
2.7Delay of game.: Holding the ball after a score, stalling a check-up, or avoiding live play is delay of game: a warning on first occurrence, a technical foul thereafter.
2.8Conduct.: Basketball-related trash talk is allowed. Personal, threatening, discriminatory, or offensive language is prohibited. Fighting, post-play contact, throwing the ball, slamming the ball, and disrespect toward officials draw a technical foul or ejection.
2.9Ejection and tour discipline.: An ejected player is eliminated from the event immediately, forfeits any prize from that stop, and is referred to the Tour Discipline Committee, which may suspend the player from future stops. Suspension decisions are communicated in writing.
2.10Guest responsibility.: Players are responsible for the conduct of their guests and personnel. Guest misconduct may be charged to the player as a technical foul.

Part 3 · Officials, Scoring, and Protests

3.1Referee authority.: Referees have full authority to enforce these rules. Judgment calls are final and are not subject to video review.
3.2Protests.: A protest may be raised only for a scoring error, a bracket or seeding error, or the misapplication of a rule, never for a judgment call. Only the player may protest, to the Head Official, before the next check-up or within two minutes of the final basket. The Head Official's ruling is final.
3.3Independence.: The scorekeeper, clock operator, and officials are appointed by the operator and are independent of players and sponsors.
3.4Governing version.: Officials apply the version of these rules published for that stop.

Part 4 · Tournament Format

4.1Field.: Registration is open and there is no cap on entries. Qualifying runs across two half courts and narrows the field into a single-elimination bracket, whose size is set by how many enter. The men's and women's divisions run separately. The season is ten stops and a finale.
4.5Forfeits.: A player has three minutes from the bracket call to report to the court. After that the game is a forfeit.
4.6Injury.: A player unable to continue forfeits. There are no substitutions. A player removed for injury needs medical clearance to compete at a later stop.

Part 5 · Eligibility and Registration

5.1Age and identification.: Entry is open to anyone 18 years or older on the day of the event, HBCU students and alumni included. Government-issued photo identification matching the registration name is required at check-in. Minors may not enter.
5.2State eligibility.: Void where prohibited. Not all entry paths are available in all states; the paths available for a stop are listed on that stop's registration page.
5.3College athletes.: Current NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA student-athletes are responsible for confirming with their school's compliance office before entering or accepting any prize. The tour does not give eligibility advice.
5.4Excluded persons.: Employees and contractors of the operator and its sponsors, together with officials and members of their households, may not enter.

Part 6 · Competition Integrity

6.1Wagering, predictions and entry.: Entering the tour never requires a purchase, a deposit, a wager, or a paid prediction on any sponsor's platform: any stop can be entered by registering and paying its entry fee. Separately, a sponsor may offer to pay one entry for someone who uses that sponsor's own platform. Any such offer belongs to that sponsor, not to the tour, and the sponsor's terms apply. It is open only to people 18 and over, or older where local law or the sponsor's terms require, in the states the offer names; it is closed to current college student-athletes and to everyone Rule 5.4 excludes; and it covers one entry per person. Wagering on the tour itself is banned outright. Players, officials, staff, contractors, and members of their households may not place or direct any wager, or any paid prediction, on any STR82IT game with any third party. Violation results in disqualification, forfeiture of all prizes, and a permanent ban.
6.2No manipulation.: Agreeing to a result, withholding effort, shaving points, or arranging a forfeit is prohibited and results in a permanent ban.
6.3Non-public information.: Injury status, withdrawals, and bracket draws may not be shared before public release.
6.4Reporting.: Any approach about influencing a result must be reported to the Head Official immediately.

Part 7 · Health and Safety

7.1Assumption of risk.: Basketball carries a risk of injury. Players compete voluntarily and are responsible for their own medical coverage.
7.2Medical staff.: Licensed medical personnel are on site. Officials and medical staff may remove a player from play at any time.
7.3Head injury.: A player with a suspected concussion is removed for the remainder of the event and needs written clearance from a licensed provider before competing at a later stop.
7.4Impairment.: No player may compete under the influence of alcohol or impairing substances.
7.5Equipment.: Identifiable athletic attire is required. Jewelry and hard accessories are prohibited. Only tour-approved game balls are used. Braces and casts are permitted at the official's discretion.

Part 9 · Media, Privacy, and Legal Terms

9.1Recording and broadcast.: All games are recorded and streamed. By entering, a player grants the operator and its media partners a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free license to use their name, image, likeness, voice, and game footage for broadcast, promotion, and archival purposes.
9.2Player rights.: Players keep their own name, image, and likeness rights for their own purposes. The license in Rule 9.1 is non-exclusive.
9.3Waiver.: A waiver, release, and assumption of risk is signed at registration and is a condition of play.
9.4Spectators.: Spectators are subject to the venue's rules and the operator's code of conduct and may be removed.

Rules questions: ty@lottawins.app