The fine print.

Sparrow Scramble is open to adults (18+) who play the National Mah Jongg League card. Registration requires a Sparrow Scramble account and a paid pass for the current quarter. The league reserves the right to decline or remove registrations at its discretion in cases of conduct that affects other players' experience.

The Scramble operates on calendar quarters: January–March, April–June, July–September, and October–December.

A Quarter Pass covers one quarter. An Annual Pass covers four consecutive quarters, starting with the current calendar quarter.

Passes are paid in full at registration and include participation throughout the applicable pass period, including matches, leaderboards, the member directory, and other member features.

Starting a new city. When the Scramble opens in a new city, its first quarter needs a minimum number of paid players to proceed. The required number and the decision date are shown during registration. If the city doesn’t get there, the quarter is called off and everyone gets a full refund automatically. You don’t need to ask.

After a city is up and running, later quarters don’t need a minimum number of players. Once a quarter starts, it always plays out to the end.

Changing your mind. You can get a full refund any time before the quarter’s first match. After matches have started, write to us and we’ll look at your situation.

Annual Passes are one purchase covering four quarters, so we don’t refund them one quarter at a time. There’s one exception: if we ever stop running the Scramble in your city, the quarter underway plays out to the end, and you’ll get back one quarter of your Annual Pass price for each quarter you haven’t reached yet.

How refunds work. Money goes back to the card you paid with. Once you’re refunded, you’re taken off the roster and the leaderboards.

To ask for a refund, use the contact form.

Players are expected to treat each other, the organizer, and venue hosts with courtesy. The Scramble is a social league as much as a competitive one — disruptive, disrespectful, or unsafe behavior is grounds for removal without refund. Match locations are often homes; act like a good guest.

Joining a match is a commitment to show up and play. Withdrawing from a full match more than 24 hours before its start frees your seat for another player. Withdrawing from a full Points Match within 24 hours of its start counts as a forfeit: the match ends and each of the other three players automatically receives 20 points on the quarter's leaderboard. The site warns you before any withdrawal that would count as a forfeit. Social matches aren't scored, so a late withdrawal from one simply frees your seat.

Scores are submitted through the portal and become part of the quarter's leaderboards. Score corrections are handled by the organizer. Players who believe a score has been recorded incorrectly should contact the organizer with the match details.

The Scramble organizes the league and facilitates match scheduling; it does not provide venues, transportation, or insurance. Players attend matches at their own risk. Sparrow Scramble and Earth and Easel LLC disclaim liability for incidents that occur at or in connection with matches.

These terms may be updated as the league evolves. Material changes will be communicated to registered players by email. The "last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.