His eyes moving from the big screen in front of him to smaller TV sets nearby, Mike Porcello rooted for his sentimental favorite in one football game while tracking two other matchups for more practical reasons.
'If Atlanta wins, the pot's going to grow,' remarked Porcello, sitting in Mystic Lake Casino at Prior Lake. 'If the pot grows, I'll definitely [come back] here.'
Atlanta lost, but the pot grew anyway in a contest that represents a new marketing approach by some Minnesota casinos to attract more customers during football season.
The contests at Mystic Lake in Prior Lake, and similar ones at Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley, recognize that Minnesotans like to bet on football, but can't do it legally in Minnesota. To appeal to them, tribal casinos offer a variation on tobaccoless cigarettes: bet-free sports betting.
'In the past we've had problems on Sundays . . . the casino just wasn't as well attended,' said Keith Krouse, marketing administrator at Mystic Lake. 'So we designed a game that . . . will hold people here on Sundays.'
The games created by both casino operations don't fit the definition of sports gambling because the entrants don't wager money or anything else of value for a chance to win prizes. In that respect they resemble promotions held by fast-food chains, radio stations and other businesses.
Casinos figure they'll make more money than they'll give away because entrants must show up to pick up and turn in their tickets and will drop money at slot machines and blackjack tables when they do it. At Mystic Lake the contest encourages repeat visits, because it allows entrants to pick up tickets on Sunday for next week's games, but requires them to return later to hand in their picks.
In that contest, participants can win at least $1,500 if they pick all games in a week. An additional $1,500 is added to the pot each week when no one wins the top prize. Mystic Lake said it has given out $15,000 in cash and other prizes midway through this NFL season and the giveaways will reach $40,000. The weekly contest grew out of a $10,000 Super Bowl contest that Mystic held last year.
This fall is the first time that Grand Casinos Mille Lacs and Hinckley have offered football contests - which they say will pay out prizes exceeding $95,000 during the season. At Grand Casinos participants are awarded prizes depending on how many NFL and college games they pick correctly. Prizes range from $1,000 to $100 and are split among winners when there is a tie.
'We want to capitalize on people's interest in football,' said Suzanne Chabre, Grand Casinos' vice president for marketing. Officials of Grand and Mystic Lake said early indications are that the contests are bringing the casinos more customers, but they do not have specific figures yet.
The contests are part of a move by Minnesota casinos to use sports to sell gambling, especially to younger people. Grand Casinos and Jackpot Junction, near Morton, Minn., recently began 'sports pits' in hope of boosting play at nearby blackjack tables. At Grand Casinos, dealers audition for tables in the pit, where they're judged on 'making the customer feel good.'
Minnesota casinos can't offer real sports betting because the state-tribal agreements don't allow it and because Congress in 1992 banned sports betting in most states.
Nevada is the only state offering widespread sports gambling. Five other states can offer betting on some sports. Congress specifically included Indian reservations in its prohibition, and has reacted to requests from professional sports teams that said they feared legalized betting would damage their businesses.
The prohibition hasn't diminished the American appetite for sports betting. Last year Americans illegally wagered an estimated $88 billion on sporting events, according to the Council on Compulsive Gambling. Sports betting makes up most of an estimated $1 billion in illegal bets made annually in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety monitors promotional contests to make sure they don't cross the line into gambling. 'We've always made it pretty clear that there not be any extraordinary requirement to participate,' said Norm Pint, an agent assigned to the department's gambling enforcement division.For instance, casinos can't require participants to play slot machines or blackjack.
Grand Casino requires entrants in Pigskin Picks to enroll in its Advantage Players Club, which dispenses frequent-gambler cards and freebies to encourage casino visits. People must join the club in order to enter the weekend and Super Bowl contests, but not for picking Monday night football games.
`Bet a few bucks'
Participants in the You Pick 'Em Challenge at Mystic Lake say the contest encourages them to visit the casino. Mike Solum said that when he turns in his tickets he typically plays some blackjack.
'If the other guys are like me, they're going to bet a few bucks,' said Solum, 28, of Bloomington. 'I usually spend $20 or $30.'
One week Solum picked 14 of 15 games and split the second prize of $500 with two other winners.
Porcello, 31, of Burnsville, is a transplanted Massachusetts resident and he wore the jersey of the New England Patriots while watching the Patriots-Colts game one Sunday on the big screen at Mystic Lake.
But he also paid attention to the Atlanta-Dallas game on another TV and kept track of a game on a third screen.
His interest came down to this: No one had picked 15 of 15 games in six weeks, so the first prize, which started at $1,500, had rolled over and reached $9,000. Now the underdog Atlanta Falcons were leading the Cowboys. Porcello figured an upset would nix any chance that someone would win the jackpot this week, and it would grow to $10,500. The higher pot would give Porcello a greater incentive to return to the casino during the week to turn in his picks for next Sunday's games.
'This is the sixth week in a row I`ve been here,' he said, adding that he sometimes plays video poker at the bar while watching satellite broadcasts of several games.
As it turned out, the Cowboys won, but the predictable outcome didn't help anyone win the jackpot.
Although chances of winning the top prize are slim, the game appeals to football fans who like the chance of winning without risk. But it's unlikely to satisfy the demand for real sports wagering met by illegal bookies.
'When you don't have the risk of losing something, I don't know if it has the thrill of a bet,' said Pint, the state gambling enforcement agent.
1/3 At a glance:
Picking the winners Sports betting is illegal in Minnesota, but three casinos are offering contests in which patrons can win money by picking the winners of pro football games. No purchase is necessary - however, the casinos hope you'll visit the tables or the slots while you're there. Here's how the games work:
1/3 - Grand Casinos at Mille Lacs and Hinckley - Awards are given out weekly based on picking the highest number of winners in Sunday pro football games. The prize money is split among winners when there are ties. Winners receive bonuses for being present when awards are announced.
Prizes: 1st place, $1,000; 2nd place, $500; 3rd place, $250; 4th place, $150.; 5th place: $100
1/3
- Mystic Lake - Cash prizes are awarded for picking all 15 games, 14 of 15 and 13 of 15 games each week. Those jackpots are progressive, meaning they grow each week if someone doesn't win. Multiple winners split prizes.
Prizes: 15 correct, $1,500; 14, $500; 13, $250
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