ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL… CONTESTS?
Football contests can be a great slot club perk
By H. Scot Krause
Casinos and football are like peanut butter and jelly. They just fit together. And whether or not you are a regular sports better, one nice slot club perk is being able to join in the football contests— many of them for FREE—with opportunities to win some pretty hefty cash! Don’t worry about being a pro or expert handicapper – many winners in the past have utilized “quick picks” (randomly selected picks generated by a kiosk computer) or simply “guessing” or picking your favorite team, quarterbacks, colors or helmets!
The best contests for tourists who can’t participate every week for season long competitions are the contests that run a new contest with weekly prizes. Boyd Gaming’s $500,000 Pick the Pros Football Contest is one such contest. Pick the Pros is Las Vegas’ longest running football contest. B Connected members can register for the free weekly contest and begin making picks each week every Tuesday after 5 p.m. and before Sunday at 10 a.m. Ruby card holders receive three free entries; Sapphire members receive four free entries; and Emerald level members receive five free entries weekly. Each week, $30,000 will be awarded with a minimum of $10,000 guaranteed for each first-place winner. It is a weekly contest. (You do not have to participate every week to earn season long standings.) Learn more at PickthePros.com. Play at any Boyd Gaming property: Gold Coast, Orleans, Suncoast, Sam’s Town, California, Main Street Station or California (excludes Eldorado Casino and Joker’s Wild Casino.)
Station Casinos’ 2016 $750,000 Free Gridiron Glory Football Contest is a free, interactive pro-football contest that utilizes the Boarding Pass Rewards Kiosk to track play. It also gives guests the opportunity to include picks from Thursday games and continues into the playoffs and championship game. Contestants can register for one free entry by visiting a Rewards Kiosk with your Boarding Pass at any Station Casino, the Fiestas, Wildfire Gaming properties as well as the Station Casinos-managed El Cortez sports book (with a Club Cortez card). Guests make selections (up to four weeks at a time) and track progress throughout the life of the contest with a personalized “team helmet” that gains yardage across the football field with each correct pick. Once achieving a touchdown, players receive instant prizes including Boarding Pass points, free slot play and more each time a touchdown is scored by their “team helmet.” Players advance by making correct weekly team picks; picks can be made on Thursday, Sunday and Monday Pro Football games.
The contest offers $750,000 awarded in total cash and prizes over the Pro Football season and through the Championship game with up to $15,000 in cash prizes awarded each week; first place wins $10,000 (additional $5,000 split amongst tiebreakers, in the event of a tie.) Advance to playoffs by playing all 17 weeks or scoring three “touchdowns” (or 18+ points) during the regular season. Playoffs picks will include prop bets, over/under and game outcomes for an additional $50,000 in cash prizes. All post-season contestants will be entered to play in the Big Game which awards another $50,000 in cash prizes. The first place winner receives $25,000.
Gridiron Glory is available for play throughout 20 sports book and sports lounge locations including all Station Casinos. Season standings will be available via both the Rewards Kiosk and online at www.sclv.com/gridironglory.
Rampart Casino’s $35,000 Red Zone to Riches football contest pays the top four participants weekly, splitting the $1,100 prize pool each week. Rewards Club members receive one free entry each week and can receive one additional entry after earning 250 base points. The contest features a $1,000 free slot play progressive for a perfect card each week. If there is no perfect card, the total is added to the next week’s progressive until it hits or until the end of the season, when a (possible) $17,000 Free Slot Play Progressive drawing will be held.
Silver Sevens Casino will be hosting Thursday Night Football Parties every Thursday Night during football season. Every quarter, five winners will spin the prize wheel for a guaranteed prize and a chance to win $500 free play. Plus, there will be bonus drawings for every touchdown scored. Game day beer specials include $2.50 Coors and Coors Light and $3.50 Dos Equis and Heineken. Visit the promotions booth for details.
Station’s owned Wildfire Gaming properties in Las Vegas are offering a new 2016 college football contest called the College Football Clash. The free college football contest offers $500 in weekly cash prizes and the grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to the 2017 Rose Bowl Game. All contestants must have a Boarding Pass card to play. Enter the contest at any time; there’s no registration deadline. The weekly contest is based on selecting 10 selections weekly against the line. The contest concludes on Saturday, Nov. 26. The weekly contest selection sheets will be available in the sports books every Wednesday during the contest. One point will be awarded for each winning selection, and the weekly prize money will be awarded to the contestant who has the most points that week. If contestants are tied, the money will be split among them. Contestants are allowed one entry per person and anyone with more than one entry will be eliminated. Weekly prizes will be awarded as follows: first place: $250 cash, second place: $150 cash and third place: $100 cash.
The grand prize trip will be awarded to the contestant who earned the most contest points during the 2016 College Football Clash. The grand prize includes two tickets for the 2017 Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, scheduled for Jan. 2, 2017; hotel accommodations and round trip airfare for two. The grand prize winner may choose a cash equivalent prize of $1,500 in lieu of the trip. College Football Clash is available for play at Wildfire Gaming properties Wild Wild West, Barley’s, Wildfire Sunset, Wildfire Rancho, Wildfire Lake Mead, Wildfire Casino & Lanes and Wildfire Boulder.
At Peppermill Reno, play the $50,000 Dream Team Draft weekly through Dec. 29 for a shot at $1,000 cash every week. Each week starting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, through Sunday at kickoff of first game, players can participate in the Dream Team sports pick at the kiosk. Select Dream Team Sports Pick and you will be brought to the Dream Team selection screen. Guests can receive up to two entries per week. Guests will have one week to earn entries. Earn 20 tier points per entry (max 2.)
Guests at The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno can play the Pro Pigskin Pick ‘Em contest for the 2016 season. Each week, during the pro football season, Club Grand members will choose a winner for each Sunday and Monday game. Members will be able to make their selections beginning 10 a.m. on the Tuesday prior to that week’s game and up to 9 a.m. each Sunday, with the exception of Sunday, October 2, 23 and Sunday, October 30 where there is a 6:30 a.m. game (PST). Those Sunday selections must be made by 5:30 a.m. Only the pro football games played on Sunday and Monday will be included in the contest. The contest is giving away a total of $900 in free play each week to five winners. At the end of the season, they will give away $7,500 free play to the top winner and will award down to 25th place.
In Atlantic City, Trop Advantage cardholders can tackle free slot play in the Tropicana Football League Promotion at Tropicana Atlantic City. Cardholders can play free the first time, and will need to earn one (1) promotional point to play each time after that. Prizes will be awarded weekly up to $250 in free slot play for picking winners. Plus, the player with the most wins during the promotion receives $5,000 free slot play. The promotion runs through January 1, 2017. Swipe your Trop Advantage card at any comp machine and enter your pin. Select one winner for each game listed any time from 10 a.m. on Tuesday up to one hour prior to the first game played on Sunday. Print out your slip with your winning selections. Winnings will be posted to player accounts Tuesday after games are played and will be good for 90 days.
As always, good luck and happy slot clubbing!
Scot Krause is a gaming industry analyst, researcher and journalist. He is a former entertainment director and a 21-year resident of Las Vegas. His work is regularly featured in Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Gaming Today as well as other gaming publications, including the annual American Casino Guide Book. Questions or comments for Scot may be addressed to: krauseinvegas@cox.net
