How we fact-check

Every fact on Chance Ledger should be traceable to a source and a date. This page describes how we make that happen, and what we do when we cannot confirm something.

The verification workflow

Each page goes through five steps before it is published.

1. Research notes. The Research Desk compiles facts into a research file. Each fact is tagged as coming from a primary source, a secondary source, or marked NEEDS VERIFICATION.
2. Drafting. The page is drafted from those notes, with AI assistance. A draft can only use facts that appear in the notes with a source.
3. Source check. Each factual claim in the draft is matched to an entry in the page’s source list. A claim with no source is removed or rewritten.
4. Status check. Every claim that came from a NEEDS VERIFICATION item is either confirmed against a primary source, removed, or rewritten so the reader can see it is unconfirmed.
5. Human approval. A human editor reviews the page against this process and our editorial policy, and approves it for publication. Nothing is published without that approval.

The fact-checker credited on each page is the person responsible for steps 3 to 5. That position is currently open and shown as a placeholder profile; we label it that way rather than name someone who does not exist.

Primary-source rules

Use the original. When a court ruled, we cite the opinion or docket, not an article about it. When a fee changed, we cite the operator’s fee page, not a review site. When a law passed, we cite the legislature’s bill page.

Specific rules by fact type:

When a primary source is unavailable, for example because a page blocks automated access, requires a login, or is not published, we may use a reputable secondary source. The text then names that source (“according to…”) so readers can weigh it.

Operator marketing is not a source for facts about the operator’s own compliance. A claim that a site is “legal in all states” is not evidence of anything.

How we handle NEEDS VERIFICATION

Our research files mark conflicting, secondary-only or unconfirmed facts as NEEDS VERIFICATION. Such a fact has three possible outcomes:

1. Confirmed. We find the primary source, and the fact is published with that source.
2. Disclosed. The fact matters to readers, so we publish it with a clear label, such as “reported by X; we have not confirmed this in official terms.”
3. Omitted. It is left out.

A NEEDS VERIFICATION fact is never presented as settled. Where sources conflict on a date or figure, we say they conflict rather than pick one silently.

Dated facts

Some facts are only true on a given day. These include legal status, state availability, fees, offers, redemption minimums and restricted-state lists. For these:

• Each source records the date we accessed it.
• Legal statements are written with a date, as in “as of October 4, 2026, according to…”.
• Brand records carry a last verified date, shown on the page.
• Offer expiry dates are shown only if the official terms state them.

If you read a page weeks after its verification date, treat time-sensitive facts as a starting point and check the operator’s current terms.

Re-verification cadence

Pages are scheduled for re-checks according to how fast their facts change:

• Legal trackers: every 7 days.
• Offers and promotions: every 14 days.
• Reviews and brand records: every 30 days.
• Guides: every 90 days.
• Trust pages: every 180 days.

We aim to re-check affected pages promptly after major events, regardless of schedule. Examples include an appellate ruling, a new state law taking effect, an attorney general action, or an operator changing its fees or exiting a state.

Tell us if we got something wrong

If you find an error, email corrections@chanceledger.com with the page and, ideally, a source. Our corrections policy explains what happens next.