Consider #1: Perfectly fine to make bots.
#2: Perfectly fine to play multiple accounts.

Knowing what we know, and how 'invovled' staff are, how far fetched is it to assume...

STAFF are adept enough to create a bot that plays 'perfectly'. It's not against the rules.
STAFF could run multiple bots and win all the prizes. It's also not against the rules.

We see their ethics as mentioned above.

Why are all the rules skewed to allow diamond level players win all the gold touraments AND diamond touraments?

Why are the 'rewards' that BENEIFT the use of bots in the first place?

Why are there no filters to BAN who you want from your touraments?

Why is the game set up to BENIFIT bots in such, you can see your OPPONENT name BEFORE you choose you cards? Do you know what this means? Bots can ABUSE the 'ladder' by 'throwing' games to the bot army perfered winner! Effectively FEED rating points to themselves, and artifically 'win' everything!

This is what splinterlands has created.