Region 9 Director’s Update

First, I want to thank you all for the warm welcome I received at the super-successful Bentonville Regional. Congratulations to Laura Batey and her team for a job well done! I was very glad to be able to attend the D15 meeting held during the tournament, both to meet more of you and to catch up on the matters of importance to D15.

The summer in-person meetings of the ACBL Board of Directors were held in Philadelphia in conjunction with the Summer NABC. As usual, the meetings were very full, building on the zoom meetings we hold between face-to-face meetings.

Here are some of the highlights of our meetings:

FINANCE

In June 2025, the gain from operations was $153k, exceeding the budget by $77k and was $59k better than the same period in 2024. Monthly revenues reached $1.26M, which was $5k above the $1.22M budget. Expenses were $1.1M, which was $72k (or 6.1%) below the budgeted $1.2M.

Year-to-date (YTD), the gain in net assets totaled $687k, which includes an unrealized gain from the change in market value of investments of $322k. This YTD gain is $1M greater than the budget but is $488k less than the $1.2M YTD gain from the previous year. The balance sheet remains strong, with $13.7M in cash and investments and $5.5M in deferred revenue from future membership expirations.

MEMBERSHIP

As of July 2025, the total number of members is 121,499. This represents a decrease of 7,707 members ( -5.96%) compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date, new members total 4,145, which is an increase of 98 members (+2.42%) over the number of new members at this time last year.

GROWING THE GAME

The President created a Task Force to develop incentives for member retention and rank progression. The Task Force and Management collaborated to create a framework for member incentives- the Sapphire Program- a new way to recognize and reward new players. Sapphires are not points, but badges earned for progress and participation in various activities, including completing lessons, playing at local clubs, bidding your first slam, etc.

Players will be able to combine Sapphires with cash to purchase exclusive merchandise from an upcoming online store. The first of these items—ACBL's 100th-anniversary gear—was sold in person at the Philadelphia NABC and met with great enthusiasm. This popular merchandise will be among the featured products in the new online store.

GUEST MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM UPDATES

The ACBL has simplified its Guest Membership Program, now integrated with the Sapphire Program, to offer a clear pathway for new players to transition to full membership. Guest memberships are free and do not expire, allowing new players to join simply by providing their name, email, and zip code.

Upon signing up, guest members receive a welcome email with their member number. They also get access to the redesigned MyACBL portal to track their progress and celebrate wins, along with weekly bridge strategy tips delivered via email.

Guest members may earn up to 20 Masterpoints. Once this limit is reached, a full membership is required to continue earning points and to participate in regional and national tournaments. The program encourages this transition with a user-friendly process and a discounted rate for the first year of full membership.

SUPPORTING UNITS AND DISTRICTS

During its Memphis Spring meetings, the Board addressed the challenges facing tournament organizers. This initiative focused on three key areas: optimizing tournament schedules, refining overall scheduling, and improving staffing models.

At the summer meetings in Philadelphia, Management and the Board had the following recommendations:

·         Ending Online Events at F2F Regionals: Online events at F2F regional tournaments will no longer be approved due to low attendance and financial losses. Already scheduled events will be permitted to proceed, but organizers are encouraged to remove them from their schedules.

•              Optimizing Tournament Schedules: The ACBL created a regional planning document, which incorporates best practices from various Districts and Units, which document will be tailored for different tournament sizes and shared with all tournament organizers. ACBL Area Managers will serve as subject matter experts, assisting organizers in creating more effective events and schedules.

•              Exploring Approaches to Tournament Director (TD) Staffing: To address the high cost of staffing, Management is exploring a "staff-lite" approach. This involves more accurately pre-estimating staffing needs and having on-call backup directors instead of overstaffing tournaments from the outset.

•              Championing Pre-Registration: Pre-registration has long been identified as a key solution for several challenges. It allows for better planning and more accurate staffing.. The Board continues to support the expansion of the Entry Express system to regional tournaments for advance entry purchase. Incentives and methods to encourage other aspects of pre-registration will be explored.

•              Evaluating the Future of Local Sectionals: Currently, Local Sectionals are Open Tournaments lasting one to three days with fewer than 25 tables per session. These events award silver Masterpoints at a reduced rate and can be run by local certified directora or Tournament Assistants instead of a full-time ACBL Tournament Director.

The Board continues to consider whether to lift existing restrictions on these events, whether organizers should have the autonomy to manage the events to best serve their unique needs, and how changes would affect large Open Sectionals run by ACBL Tournament Directors.

COMBATING ONLINE CHEATING

The ACBL continues to utilize EDGAR (Everyone Deserves a Game Above Reproach) to detect online cheating. Since February 1, 2024, 12,089 players have been submitted for screening, with a total of 37,875 examined (this includes their partners). Approximately 900 players identified by EDGAR have been charged with collusive online cheating or received Official Warnings. The current online cheating rate, which includes all players (members, non-members, and inactive accounts), is estimated to be between 2.5% and 3%. Disciplinary actions have included Official Warnings (185), Fast Track Discipline (FTD) (571 players), Negotiated Resolutions (NR) (50), Expedited Disciplinary Panels (10), and Institute of Bridge Arbitration resolutions (15), with 24 resignations pending charges and 42 pending cases.

REVISIONS TO DISCIPLINARY REGULATIONS

In response to widespread online cheating that began during the 2020-2021 pandemic, the ACBL implemented a strict disciplinary system to protect the game's integrity. The ACBL recognizes that this approach may have been too rigid, sometimes leading to punishments that were disproportionate to the offense. To address this, Management, in coordination with the Board, proposed a series of changes.

•              Club Discretion for Suspended Players: Club leadership now has the discretion to allow suspended members to return to F2F club play under specific conditions. The policy for suspended members to participate in club games applies only to players who were charged after February 1, 2024. The reason for this specific date is that EDGAR was initiated on that date.  The new policy is designed specifically for players who were flagged by this program. Suspended members who are permitted to play are still considered Members Not in Good Standing, may not play with any complicit partners, and  are not permitted to direct games.

•              Review of Pre-2022 Online Cheating Cases: All cases  will be reviewed of players identified by EDGAR as colluding online, but who clearly ceased this behavior before 2022.  The Office of the National Recorder will communicate any modifications to a player's current discipline directly to them.

•              Revisions to the Ethics Certification and Fair Play Pledge (EC/FPP): The mandatory admission of guilt has been replaced with a "No Contest" plea. Players who receive an Official Warning are no longer required to submit an EC/FPP. Players who previously failed to submit their EC/FPP will be given a new opportunity to do so, potentially allowing for limited club play and a reduction in their current discipline. An Official Warning for collusive online cheating is still considered a first offense. A second violation of the same nature will result in expulsion if the player is found accountable. 

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FALL 2028 NABC EXPERIMENTAL MODEL

Management proposed an experimental model for the fall 2028 North American Bridge Championship (NABC). This model focuses exclusively on national-level NABC and NABC+ events, while offering drop-in options to secondary events. The events will offer more opportunities for players of all levels to compete, advance, and achieve. Pre-registration would be required, allowing the ACBL to source high-quality, mid-sized venues in cities that are not currently affordable due to larger space requirements. This approach has the potential to re-energize NABCs, with event space that matches attendance.  The Board has authorized Management to research venue and event schedule options. The Board's next steps will be to define success metrics, manage potential risks, and plan for a smooth execution of the model.

NEW MASTERPOINT CLASS: TITANIUM POINTS

To recognize top-level performance for players with fewer than 10,000 Masterpoints, a new class of Masterpoints, tentatively called Titanium Points, is being explored. Titanium would be awarded in top-tier national finals, bridging the gap between traditional Gold and Platinum points. Recipients would be recognized in NABC Bulletins, creating a new milestone for this player demographic.