Michael Tanner’s initial thought was “hey, why not?”
The 25-year-old Lakewood resident was reading through the details of WynnBET Sportsbook’s Big Game Promotion in early January and decided to give it a shot.
After all, it only required a $20 minimum parlay wager utilizing the site’s Build Your Own Bet feature.
The WynnBET promotion was one of many Super Bowl-themed promos offered via Colorado’s sportsbook apps.
Tanner built his $20 parlay around a regular season Indianapolis Colts game. It wound up losing as one of the legs failed to come through.
Or so he thought.
A few weeks later, Tanner was stunned to find out otherwise.
He had been chosen as one of the Big Game Promotion’s five national secondary prize winners.
A surprise phone call
Tanner said he got the call Jan. 24.
“It was (VIP patron host) Mike Allan calling from WynnBET,” Tanner explained in a recent phone interview with PlayColorado. “At first, I really didn’t believe it. But I wound up calling him back, and he told me how I won.
“It was crazy — an unbelievable moment.”
What Tanner had won was a trip to Las Vegas for the Wynn Big Game Party — an invitation-only watch event for Super Bowl LVI.
The prize package included a two-night stay at Wynn Las Vegas. And tickets, of course, to Super Sunday’s Big Game Party on Feb. 13.
It also included a $1,000 free Super Bowl bet at the Wynn Las Vegas sportsbook.
“I saw the (WynnBET) promotion, and I thought, ‘man, that’s pretty intriguing,” said Tanner, who runs his own automatic teller machine company and has been wagering on sports for “about” a year. “I had planned on going to Vegas for the Super Bowl anyway.
“So, I thought, hey, I’ll just throw an entry in for this. What’s the worst that can happen?”
Bowled over by the experience
Tanner and his “significant other,” Karli, were guests at the Wynn for Super Bowl weekend.
They certainly weren’t strangers. Tanner said they frequently stay at the Wynn on Vegas excursions.
“It’s one of the best hotels on The Strip,” Tanner said.
The couple’s Super Sunday started with their “usual” breakfast at the resort’s Terrace Pointe Cafe.
Then, after meeting Allan at the casino’s sportsbook, he led them to the Wynn’s Cristal Ballroom — the site of the Big Game Party.
Tanner said they were greeted by an “awesome” sight.
“It was in a big event room,” he explained. “There were 30-plus movie screen-size TVs set up and couches and tables everywhere. It was all the food you can eat and unlimited drinks. Memorabilia was being handed out, and the service was awesome, too.
“It was quite the experience for us.”
Tanner was living the dream of many Colorado NFL bettors.
Winning $1,000 bet was icing on cake
Tanner estimated that more than a thousand people attended the watch party.
“There was non-stop cheering for just about every play from the coin toss to the end of the game,” he recalled.
And Tanner certainly didn’t hold back.
With his free $1,000 bet, Tanner decided to go with the “under” on the Super Bowl game total. It was set at 49 points.
And despite 10 quick points from the Cincinnati Bengals to open the third quarter — giving them a 20-13 lead with more than 25 minutes to play — the rest of the contest only featured 10 unanswered points from the Los Angeles Rams.
The final was 23-20, L.A.
The under hit, and Tanner had won “easily” the largest bet he’s ever made.
“I’m a small bettor, but having that $1,000 on the game was a whole new experience,” Tanner explained. “It was extremely fun — I was standing the whole game.
“It definitely was nerve-wracking as well. After I saw my ticket, though, and the potential return once I placed the bet, it hit me and I was like, ‘this is awesome, let’s go.’ ”
Buoyed by good fortune and not wanting the experience to end, the couple wound up staying an extra night at the Wynn.
Tanner said the “extra shopping cash” from his winning wager was a big hit with Karli.
“Next year, I want to put another $1,000 bet on the (Super Bowl),” said Tanner, who added that he also likes to wager on the NBA and college basketball between football seasons. “That was just too much fun.
“… Overall, (I’m) just extremely thankful to be part of the Wynn experience.”