National Tournament Lottery Info
The New York Shuffleboard Association will be hosting a National Tournament in Brooklyn on June 13-14, 2026. In response to anticipated high demand, NYSA will be holding a lottery for ticket registration.
How can I join the lottery?
By visiting newyorkshuffleboard.org/lottery between Saturday, March 14 at 10 AM ET and Thursday, Mar 19 at 10 PM ET.
How does the lottery work?
The lottery will open at 10:00 AM ET on Saturday, March 14, 2026, and close at 10:00 PM ET on Thursday, Mar 19, 2026. During that window, you will fill out an online form with each team member’s contact information and home shuffleboard club. At the close of that period, if we have more entrants in any of the three club-based pools (Royal Palms Brooklyn, Royal Palms Chicago, All Other Clubs) than we have space to admit, we will hold a live lottery draw on [[[Saturday March 21.]]] Those who get in during the lottery will receive an email with instructions to finalize their registration within 72 hours.
When will the lottery take place?
We will be holding a live lottery draw at [[[Royal Palms Brooklyn on Saturday, March 21 at 12pm ET.]]] Spectators are welcome to come watch the draw or follow the livestream on NYSA’s Instagram page. If you are unable to follow along live, the results will be available at newyorkshuffleboard.org/lottery and all entrants will receive an email with their registration status by the end of the day on Saturday.
Why is there a lottery registration this year?
For NYSA’s 2024 national tournament, many more people attempted to register than there were available slots, making admission largely determined by schedule flexibility, technical savvy, and some luck loading a webpage.
Accordingly, we decided last year to make the registration process fairer for all prospective competitors by giving more time to submit the entry form. This ensures that people with inflexible work schedules or limited internet connections have the same opportunity to compete in the national tournament as the people who eagerly await the registration links. We received largely positive feedback on this change so decided to continue this system for 2026.
We have given this policy a lot of thought, and we’ve tried to anticipate some common questions below. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please email [email protected].
Who can enter the lottery?
The lottery is open to all interested shuffleboard players! You will enter the lottery as a member of a doubles team, with one team member designated as the “captain.” Only one lottery entry is allowed per team; duplicate entries will be deleted.
What if I don’t have a teammate yet?
You may indicate that you do not have a partner when you enter the lottery. After the lottery closes and before the lottery winners are chosen, NYSA will pair you with another solo shuffler. If you enter the lottery and later find a partner, you can make the change as long as the lottery window has not closed. Please contact [email protected] to do so.
Will there be a waitlist?
Yes, anyone who entered the lottery during the open period who was not selected will be added to their pool waitlist in the order that their name was drawn during the lottery. Waitlisters will then receive an email with next steps.
What if I miss the lottery period?
After the lottery draw, if your club-based pool is full, you may join the waitlist on a first come, first serve basis by emailing [email protected].
Why is the lottery divided into club pools?
NYSA encourages shufflers from all over the country to compete in our national tournament! We expect to have a lot of interest from our Royal Palms Brooklyn and Royal Palms Chicago friends, but unfortunately we cannot accommodate all of you while also allowing sufficient space for shufflers from other parts of the country. Based on the number of lottery entrants we receive, we will allot a specific number of competitor spaces for each of the three club pools: Royal Palms Brooklyn, Royal Palms Chicago, and All Other Clubs.
What is my home club? What if I play multiple places or don’t have a regular club?
If you currently live in or near NYC or Chicago and/or play in league at either Royal Palms location, that will be counted as your home club. If you play elsewhere or don’t currently have a regular club, you will be entered in the “All Other Clubs” pool and you can write whatever location you play most often or the location where you live.
What if my teammate and I have different home clubs?
We love this! We encourage shufflers to foster community building outside of our individual clubs and to team up with a member of another club. If you sign up with a teammate from a different home club, we will place your team in the club pool that, in NYSA’s discretion, increases your chances of being selected for the lottery.
Can I enter the lottery more than once with different partners? How do I increase my chances of getting selected?
You may only enter the lottery once with one partner (or as a free agent and you will be paired with one partner.) The purpose of the lottery is to make the ticket draw as fair as possible. NYSA reserves the right to remove lottery entries from anyone found attempting to “game the system” or engaging with the lottery in bad faith.
Is there a deposit to enter the lottery? When do I need to pay?
There’s no cost to enter the lottery. If you are selected, we will send instructions on completing registration, which you must do within 72 hours after receiving a registration email following the Lottery draw. If you were selected by the lottery but do not complete registration in time, your spot will be released to the next person on your club pool waitlist.
Registration for the tournament will cost $100 per team ($50 per person).
If I don’t get selected to compete through the lottery, can I still attend the national tournament?
YES! NYSA is planning some exciting activities for tournament weekend, and we would love for all of our shuffle friends to attend even if they are not competing. We will also have many opportunities for volunteers, so stay tuned!