To the savvy Illinois video gaming business owner, cashout vouchers are more than just slips of paper that winners use to redeem their winnings – they’re also excellent promotional tools!

Breathe new life into those cashout vouchers that would have otherwise been left behind, thrown away, or ignored by using them to promote the slot machines and video games at your location and attract more guests to take a spin. Here’s how you can revamp your cashout vouchers into marketing tools and promote Illinois video gaming at your restaurant, bar, or establishment:

Post Photos & Videos on Social Media of Slot Machine Cashout Vouchers

Posting images on social media of big winners proudly showing off their cashout vouchers is an excellent way to bring attention to your slot machines and Illinois gambling machines. These posts on social media will help display the benefits of playing video slot machines at your bar or restaurant. Posting an image a day may encourage guests to come on over and try their luck! While posting images of big winner tickets alone is effective, posting a picture or better yet, a video, of a big winner with their casino cashout voucher is even more authentic, believable, and impactful.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to have a triple-threat picture of the machine win, winning cashout voucher, and the big winner with their earnings? And if you’re not lucky enough to get that shot, simply having the hot ticket is enough to let your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter followers know your video slot machines are on fire.

However, before you begin to post and tweet about winning cashout vouchers, remember that not all folks are keen on ending up on social media. Some people are uncomfortable enough about getting their photos taken by strangers; they’re even less interested in their images or videos being posted on the Internet for the whole world to access. So before you post photos of people on social media, be sure to ask their permission first and respect their privacy if they decline.

The good news is that while there are folks who choose to remain quiet about their big wins at the slot machines, there are those who are more than willing to share the exciting news with everyone! Be camera-ready to capture these big moments!

The fun doesn’t stop there! Is it a holiday? Don’t forget to incorporate that! Or ask the big winner to give your establishment a shout-out while holding your menu or wearing a baseball cap with your company logo. Promote it all! Before you post, add an inviting, witty caption that lets people know they could be the next big winner.

Provide a “Ticket TIPS” Bucket For Gamers That Do Not Use Their Cashout Vouchers

A “Ticket Tips” Bucket is an excellent way for your staff to make a little extra cash and keep guests engaged with your video slot machines and Illinois video gaming services. Often, casino cashout vouchers are mere cents, and you’d be surprised by how many guests/gamers don’t bother cashing them out. Instead of letting them go to waste, why not give them to the folks that help keep the business running day in and day out? At the end of the shift, have the employees split the cashout vouchers bucket by their hours worked.

Don’t forget to let guests know that the cashout vouchers they don’t cash out go to sweetening the lives of the people who love to serve them whenever they visit. It’ll make them feel good knowing they’re showing their gratitude and appreciation to the staff at your Illinois video gaming and gambling establishment. You might even want to mention how supporting the “Ticket TIPS” Bucket may turn their luck around.

Promote a Ticket Donation Bucket at Your Illinois Video Gaming Location

Many Illinois video gaming establishments already make this happen around the Holiday Season with things like “Toys for Tots.” So what’s stopping you from doing it all year round? Nothing. In fact, a permanent Cashout Voucher Donation Bucket is a fantastic way to promote generosity all the months of the year! After all, there’s always someone celebrating a birthday, a promotion, an engagement, or a significant event in their lives that makes them feel grateful enough to pay it forward.

Again, small tickets are usually what makes it into the bucket as people don’t bother cashing out small wins from video slot and gambling machines. However, every once in a while, you’re bound to have a generous do-gooder that’s willing to hand out their big win for a good cause. This gives gamers another great reason to game at your Illinois video gaming establishment – they’re gaming for the greater good! Be sure to market it this way and encourage people play your video slot machines and give back.

Create a ‘Wall of BIG WINNINGS!’ at Your Slot Machine & Gaming Establishment

A ‘Wall of Big WINNINGS’ is an excellent idea for video gaming locations where redemption machines don’t eat the cashout vouchers. For those locations with redemption machines that DO eat the cashout vouchers, simply ask your technicians to give you a minute to pull out those big wins when they come to collect!

Your ‘Wall of Big WINNINGS’ is an excellent way to utilize cashout vouchers that would have typically gone in the garbage! It doesn’t cost a whole lot to display your players’ casino cashout vouchers and wins either. All you really need is a corkboard and some push pins. Proudly display those big wins, sit back, and watch as curiosity draws potential new players in to check out the dollar amounts others have claimed while playing at your Illinois video gaming location. Your ‘Wall of Big WINNINGS’ will surely catch the eyes of guests and gamers alike, encouraging them to take a spin too!

Host a Sweepstakes at Your Gaming Location

Want to say thank you to your regulars? Hosting a sweepstakes around your Illinois gambling machines is a great way to reward your loyal gamers. Come up with a grand prize giveaway and use cashout vouchers as entry forms during a specified entry period. But keep in mind, a free method of entry must also exist to qualify as a legal sweepstakes. Check out our sweepstakes blog here HERE more details on how to run things legally.

And the verdict is…

Being proactive and using the casino cashout vouchers at your Illinois video gaming location is a simple but effective way to send a positive message to the right people. Winning tickets show that your video slot machines are hot and let potential gamers know that your Illinois gambling location had some big winners. It’s time to let them know they could be next!

So, you want to host a big giveaway event at your location? That sounds like a great idea! It’s an interactive way to promote your establishment and its video slot machines. Hosting a giveaway at your Illinois video gaming location is also an excellent way to increase traffic and gather guests’ information, all while giving back to your loyal customers and gamers! But before you take any steps to start the process, we need to go over some vital information to ensure everything involved remains valid and legal.

There are a handful of considerations when planning and conducting your giveaway at your bar, restaurant, establishment, and Illinois video gaming location. Let’s take a look at what you need to know and the actions you need to take before you get the ball rolling.

A Raffle is Not the Same As a Sweepstakes

Raffles raise money through the selling of tickets, which are drawn at random to determine a winner. Whoever has the winning ticket receives a specified prize.

Companies generally host raffles for fundraisers and other similar events, but Illinois law has numerous restrictions on these drawings. The Raffles and Poker Runs Act states an organization must secure a government issued license prior to holding any type of event with a raffle.

These licenses are only available to non-profit organizations (charities, veteran programs, schools, religious institutions, etc.). Even when a non-profit is able to obtain the necessary paperwork, there are still restrictions on the cost per raffle ticket and how much the prizes can be worth.

Whatever proceeds are made from these raffles is required to go directly to the organization holding the event and not to any personal parties. It is highly unlikely that a non-charity, such as a bar or a restaurant with video slot machines, would be able to obtain a raffle permit. Therefore, it would be illegal for most Illinois video gaming locations to conduct a raffle.

Conduct a Sweepstakes Instead

Alternatively, Illinois video gaming locations with video slot machines may host a sweepstakes. This is a legal and viable option for any bar, restaurant, arcade, or establishment so long as the primary sweepstakes rules and regulations are properly created and adhered to. An illegal lottery (or raffle) becomes a sweepstakes when one of the following elements are eliminated:

• Prize – Anything of value to be awarded to the winner(s).
• Chance – A process of randomly selecting a victor.
• Consideration – The form of entry to the contest, either by monetary or non-monetary means.

“Consideration” will usually be eliminated to increase participation in a drawing for a prize rather than a game of skill. This can be done by allowing anyone that’s eligible to enter for free, or by adding a free method of entry into the sweepstakes.

Set the Sweepstakes Rules

To continue down the legal pathway toward your sweepstakes with Awesome Hand Gaming, it’s important to distribute the rules to those who wish to participate at your Illinois video gaming location. Let’s take a look at a few of the key things to point out when establishing the sweepstakes rules.

1. Procedures

This should include eligible entry dates and times, as well as the entry methods people can use to join the sweepstakes at your Illinois video gaming location.

2. Sponsorship

Whether this is you or a third-party, the name and address of the event sponsor must be clearly listed on the rules.

3. No Purchase Necessary

This is legal jargon that must be included somewhere within the rules for participation.

4. Drawing Details

Along with the entry dates, you must note who will conduct the drawing(s), where the drawing(s) will occur, and when the drawing(s) will take place. Share key details such as whether participants must be present to win the prize.

5. Eligibility

You must include any restrictions for age, employee eligibility, and whether or not family members are able to participate.

6. Prizes

Here you will list the odds of winning, any and all available prizes, estimated prize values, and how the winner(s) collect the prize(s). You should also mention if participants are responsible for shipping/handling fees involved in delivering the prize.

7. Use of Disclosed Information

This section essentially discloses to the participants that their disclosed information will be treated as non-confidential, alongside the reasons the event sponsors will use that disclosed information during the sweepstakes and after it’s completed. Without this section, information must remain confidential.

8. Facebook Disclosure

Similar to the use of disclosed information, this will list basic details about Facebook confidentiality and disclosure, and will relieve Facebook of any association with the sweepstakes.

9. Miscellaneous

Use this area to list any additional rules and to state that both the sponsor and any participants are bound to each of these regulations.

Be sure to take a look at our example of sweepstakes rules. You can also review the specific wording used in the Raffle and Poker Runs Act to ensure your event doesn’t fall into this illegal category.

Need More Info About Running a Sweepstakes?

Do you have more questions about what qualifies as a sweepstakes or what the rules are? Would you like to host a sweepstakes at your bar, restaurant, or establishment to promote your video slot machines? Call your marketing representative to learn more about the rules and regulations you must follow. Our team can assist you in setting up your own sweepstakes and helping you come up with marketing ideas that will boost traffic to the event.

Contact us to learn more about how to host a sweepstakes at your establishment.