Welcome to the CLA!

Welcome to the Canasta League of America. We’re delighted you’re here. The CLA is a community of people who love Canasta, and these Terms of Service (“Terms”) are simply the ground rules that keep that community fair, friendly, and welcoming for everyone. Please read them – by joining the CLA or using our website at canastaleague.org (the “Site”), you agree to them. If you don’t agree, please don’t join or use the Site.

We’ve tried to keep these Terms short and plain. They are not meant to be intimidating; they’re meant to set clear expectations, so every member knows what to expect from us and from one another.

1. Who we are

We are Canasta League of America, LLC (“CLA”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), based at 9030 W Sahara Ave #710, Las Vegas, NV 89117-5744. Our mission is to popularize and standardize the game of Modern American Canasta. Through the Site we offer membership, a members’ directory, and access to events, learning resources, and member benefits we make available from time to time, some of which are provided through our partners.

We work with independent partner organizations – for example, organizations that provide online play, instruction, retreats, or Canasta products under license from us. Those partners are separate businesses, and your dealings with them are covered in Sections 10 and 11.

Membership benefits, features, events, the directory, resources, and partner offerings may change, be limited, or be discontinued at any time.

2. Who can join

CLA membership is for adults. You must be at least 18 years old to join the CLA or use the Site. By joining the CLA and using the Site, you confirm that you are 18 or older and that the information you give us is true and complete.

3. Your online account and credentials

To formally join the CLA, you must create and maintain an online account at canastaleague.org (the “Account”) with a username and password. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for everything that happens under your Account. Please don’t share your login credentials. Let us know promptly if you believe someone has used your Account without permission.

You agree to keep your registration details accurate and up to date. We may decline, reclaim, or change a username that we consider misleading, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate.

4. Membership and dues

CLA membership requires payment of annual dues, except where you are exempt. Members in good standing of certain partner organizations may be exempt from CLA dues, depending on the CLA’s arrangement with that partner. Any such exemption lasts only while that partner relationship and your qualifying membership remain in place; if either ends, you may need to pay CLA dues to continue your CLA membership.

We use Stripe, an independent payment-processing platform, to handle dues paid directly to the CLA. We do not store your full credit card or bank account numbers on our systems – you provide those directly to Stripe, which manages them – though we may receive limited payment-related information from Stripe, such as billing details, payment status, and partial payment identifiers. Stripe supports several payment methods, including credit cards, mobile pay, and, in the United States, direct debit from a bank account.

When you register, Stripe will request your payment information (unless you are exempt as described above). If you are paying dues, you authorize the CLA, through Stripe, to charge your chosen payment method for your membership and to renew it automatically each year at the then-current rate, until you cancel. Before you are charged, we will show you the dues amount, the renewal period, the fact that your membership renews automatically until canceled, and how to cancel. After you join, we will send you a confirmation that includes the key membership terms and cancellation instructions, and we will provide any renewal or change notices required by applicable law.

You may cancel the renewal of your membership at any time before it expires, and your membership will then simply lapse at the end of your paid term. Dues are generally non-refundable, including on a prorated basis – for example, if you cancel before your renewal date – except where a refund is required by law or where we decide to provide one at our discretion. We may change dues amounts and payment terms, with changes taking effect at your next renewal.

5. The member directory and contacting other members

A central benefit of the CLA is connecting with other players. You decide whether to take part: you may choose to opt in to be listed in the members’ directory and to be contacted by other members about Canasta. You can change that choice through your Account.

To protect everyone, the following rules apply whenever you use the directory or contact another member:

• Canasta only. Contact other members only about Canasta – to arrange play, share strategy, organize events, and the like. Any unsolicited solicitation, advertising, or promotion that is not Canasta-related is strictly prohibited, and spam of any kind is absolutely forbidden.
• Respect others’ privacy. Information you learn about another member through the CLA may be used only for permitted Canasta-related contact and may not be shared, sold, published, or reused for any other purpose without that member’s explicit permission.
• No harvesting. Scraping, harvesting, copying, or compiling member information – by hand, automated tools, bots, or any other means – is absolutely forbidden.
• Go through the Site. Initial member contact is routed through the Site so that members stay in control of their privacy. Don’t try to bypass those controls.

How contact and member information are presented may change over time as we improve the Site. How we collect, use, and share personal information is described in our Privacy Policy (see Section 13).

6. Being a good member: civility and respect

The CLA only works if members treat one another well, so this matters to us. We expect every member to be courteous and respectful, online and in person, at every CLA-related activity. In short: be kind.

The following are not acceptable and may lead to action against your membership:

• Harassing, threatening, intimidating, bullying, or stalking another member;
• Language or content that is vulgar, abusive, defamatory, obscene, hateful, or discriminatory, including on the basis of race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability;
• Insulting, mocking, or disparaging other members, their play, or their partners;
• Impersonating another person, or misrepresenting who you are or your affiliations;
• Abusing or misusing the CLA, the Site, or CLA staff or volunteers, including submitting false reports about other members.

Disagreements happen, and a difference of opinion is not the same as misconduct. When something goes wrong, the better path is usually to step back and let us know. We welcome members reporting conduct that breaks these Terms, though any action we take is at our discretion.

7. Fair play and cheating

Integrity is at the heart of the CLA, and cheating is absolutely not acceptable in any form. This applies to any Canasta play, tournament, or event organized, sanctioned, or facilitated by the CLA, or arranged through the Site, whether online or in person.

Cheating includes, without limitation: colluding with another player; signaling or improperly exchanging information with a partner; using prohibited assistance of any kind; deliberately losing or manipulating results; and tampering with or misreporting the outcome of any game or event.

Honesty about identity and relationships is part of fair play. If an event organizer, director, or the CLA asks whether players know one another, are related, or are in the same location, you must answer truthfully and completely. Concealing or misrepresenting such a relationship is itself a serious violation of these Terms.

We treat cheating as one of the most serious things a member can do, and it may result in immediate suspension or termination, without warning and without refund of dues. We may look into suspected cheating or other misconduct based on reports, records, statements from organizers or directors, or other information available to us; we decide what action to take at our discretion and need not disclose confidential reports, our methods, or information about other members.

8. Member content

You are responsible for anything you submit through the Site or to the CLA – including your profile, photos, directory description, messages, event listings, and any reports or comments. You agree not to submit anything that is unlawful, misleading, infringing, defamatory, abusive, or that violates another person’s privacy or other rights. You keep ownership of what you submit, and you grant the CLA a limited, non-exclusive license to host, store, display, reproduce, and share that content as needed to operate the Site, provide membership services, enforce these Terms, and promote CLA activities, all subject to our Privacy Policy. We may remove or disable any member content at our discretion.

9. Membership is a privilege: admission, suspension, and termination

CLA membership is a privilege and we reserve the right of admission. We may accept or decline any application, and we may suspend, restrict, or terminate any membership or Account, with or without notice, where we consider it appropriate – including for a breach of these Terms, suspected cheating, misuse of the directory, nonpayment, safety concerns, or conduct that harms the CLA community.

We may, but are not required to, give a warning or a chance to put things right before acting. If we end your membership because you broke these Terms, you are not entitled to any refund of dues. If your membership is terminated, you may not register again, under your own name or any other, without our permission. We may also take any further steps the law allows where a member’s conduct warrants it.

10. The CLA name, content, and certification

The names “Canasta League of America” and “CLA”, our logos, and the text, graphics, guides, and other materials we provide (together, our “Content and Marks”) belong to us or our licensors and are protected by trademark, copyright, and other laws. We grant you a limited, personal, non-commercial, revocable license to use the Site and access our Content as a member. Everything else is reserved.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, or commercially exploit our Content and Marks without our written permission. From time to time, we license our Content and Marks to partners – for instance, for Canasta products or instruction by CLA-certified teachers. Unless you are authorized by us in writing, you may not use the CLA name, logos, or any certification designation, and you may not claim to be CLA-certified or to represent or be affiliated with the CLA.

11. Partner products, instruction, and other services

Some of what you may reach through the Site – such as online play, instruction by certified teachers, retreats, events, and Canasta products – is offered by independent partners, not by the CLA directly. When you buy products, take classes, or use services from a partner, that transaction is between you and the partner and is governed by the partner’s own terms and policies. We are not responsible for partner products, services, content, or conduct, and any dealings you have with a partner are at your own risk. Links to partner or third-party sites are provided for convenience and are not an endorsement.

12. In-person events and member arrangements

The CLA and its partners may host or help arrange games, lessons, meetups, tournaments, retreats, cruises, and other activities, and the CLA lets members connect with one another directly. You are responsible for your own decisions when you arrange or take part in these activities. Please use reasonable care when meeting people, sharing personal information, traveling, and attending events. The CLA does not supervise members’ private arrangements or partner-run activities and is not responsible for what happens at them.

13. Privacy

We care about your privacy. How we collect, use, share, and protect personal information – including how the directory and our payment processor handle your data – is explained in our Privacy Policy at canastaleague.org/privacy, which is part of these Terms. Please review it.

14. Electronic communications

By joining the CLA or creating an Account, you agree that we may send you notices and communications electronically – by email or through the Site. These may include membership and renewal notices, policy updates, account messages, and any disclosures required by law. You are responsible for keeping your email address current.

15. Disclaimers

The Site and CLA membership are provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We don’t guarantee that the Site will always be available, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, and we may change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Site or our offerings at any time. You use the Site, the directory, and any connection you make with another member at your own risk.

16. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the CLA and its officers, members, employees, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits or data, arising out of or relating to your membership or use of the Site – including anything arising from your interactions with other members or with partners. Our total liability for any claim relating to these Terms or the Site will not exceed the greater of (a) the total dues you paid to us in the twelve (12) months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) US $100. Some jurisdictions don’t allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

17. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the CLA and its officers, members, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, and reasonable legal costs arising out of your breach of these Terms, your violation of any law or the rights of another person, or any harmful act toward another member you connected with through the CLA.

18. Events beyond our control

We are not responsible for any delay, interruption, cancellation, or failure to perform caused by events beyond our reasonable control – including internet or hosting failures, payment-processor problems, natural disasters, severe weather, public-health events, travel disruptions, labor disputes, or government actions.

19. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we’ll revise the date above, post the updated version on the Site, and send you an email notification. Your continued membership or use of the Site after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

20. Governing law and disputes

If you ever have a concern, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it informally – we’ll do the same with you where practical. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Nevada, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute relating to these Terms or the Site will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Clark County, Nevada, and you consent to the jurisdiction of those courts.

21. Assignment

You may not transfer or assign your membership or these Terms to anyone else without our permission. We may assign these Terms, or transfer the Site or CLA operations, to an affiliate or to a successor as part of a reorganization, merger, sale, or transfer of assets.

22. Contact us

Questions about these Terms or your membership? We’re happy to help.

Thank you for being part of the CLA – and for helping keep our community a welcoming place for every Canasta player.