Sportsbook.com placed
$100,000 in one-dollar bills inside a plexiglass box on a billboard in Las Vegas. Putting the money there was a publicity stunt to promote their betting business. As part of the stunt, they allowed people to bet on whether or not the money would be stolen from the billboard. And lo and behold, while a guard was on a break a thief somehow broke into the box and
took off with some of the money.
Although the theft itself sounds like a continuation of the publicity stunt, Sportsbook.com swears that the money really was stolen. And apparently the police actually are looking into the theft. Personally, I'm having a hard time believing that this entire thing wasn't planned. I'm also doubting that there even were real dollar bills inside the box in the first place.
Comments
I'd like to *think* they aren't that stupid. The sheer level of backlash that would cause would pretty much put them out of business instantly.
If they're caught, that is.
If they indeed put $100,000.00 in cash on a billboard, they would also have installed at least five cameras, plus 3 or 4 vigilantes 24/7.
HOWEVER, check the following selected links:
http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=5371214
http://www.gambling911.com/Las-Vegas-Police-Billboard-Robbery-090606.html
http://www.finehomeslv.com/blog/las-vegas-billboard-dangles-100000-over-the-las-vegas-strip/
So ... it is still an open case, as far as I know.
Regards,
The Legend
Nevertheless, a hundred grand is still nothing in terms of advertising revenue; I guess we'll have to wait and see how much coverage this gets in the MSM to really judge whether they got their money's worth - but for a sense of scale, $100,000 would (not quite) buy you ONE 30-SECOND SLOT during ABC's Wife Swap (plus the cost of making an ad in the first place, which, though highly variable, has been estimated at an aveage of $350,000 per 30 seconds!).
Of course, this will likely get most coverage online and perhaps in print media. Online ad rates are negligible, but so is their impact; print ads may be 'affordable' compared to TV, but it's no small potatoes - $100,000 would get you a single 2/3 page b&w ad in a Friday issue of USA Today (and who notices a single ad?).
My point? A stunt which generates significant buzz is well worth $100,000. To me it looks like it's backfired a bit: so far, every report I've seen has dismissed the whole deal (robbery included) as a publicity stunt. If it gets 'straight' reporting, though, it could be a smart move: it promotes the event itself while positioning the betting site as honest but with a sense of humour - and as not quite smart eough not to get stung once in a while (and you think that wn't make it tempting for gamblers wanting to try their luck at getting one over a casino?).
You people crack me up!
On a side note, some friends of mine once bought a new TV and advertised their old one as going for free, but nobody wanted it. As soon as they put it on sale for
Incidentally, <a >most of the money has been recovered</a> and the company is not pressing charges against the people who are alleged to have stolen it. I love this quote:
Police recovered $96,300 and spent "all day" Wednesday counting it, he said. "It was an awful lot of work."
And Accipiter, no word on the volume but as to the weight of so much cash:
The thieves who broke into the clear case containing the 220.3 pounds of cash took their long shot early Wednesday morning, raining dollar bills onto Las Vegas Boulevard.
The odds were 6-1 against, with a $100 maximum bet. Oh - and it was insured...
Incidentally, most of the money _has been recovered and the company is not pressing charges against the
people who are alleged to have stolen it. I love this quote:
Police recovered $96,300 and spent "all day" Wednesday counting it, he
said. "It was an awful lot of work."
And Accipiter, no word on the volume but as to the weight of so much cash:
The thieves who broke into the clear case containing the 220.3
pounds of cash took their long shot early Wednesday morning, raining
dollar bills onto Las Vegas Boulevard.
Oh? What evidence do you have that the police are ACTUALLY involved? The most I'd seen so far is quotes from the company spokesperson saying that the police were involved. Who's to say that's true?
"Like I'm sure a billion-dollar business would risk criminal charges by involving the police in a hoax.
You people crack me up!"
Good point, Coit.
According to my friends Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay, no billion-dollar business would ever risk criminal charges by involving itself in any kind of fraud or hoax.
They said as far as they know, such a thing has never happened.
"According to my friends Jeffrey Skilling and Ken Lay, no billion-dollar business would ever risk criminal charges by involving itself in any kind of fraud or hoax."
The difference is that Ken Lay didn't set up a billboard advertising what he was doing.
Nice try though....