Casino Card Sales
Deal Dollars to Byway
A 501-c-3 byway organization banks retail revenues from sale of byway-themed collectible playing cards.
Who/What:
The 501-c-3 organization that oversees development of the Paul Bunyan Scenic Byway, located in the Central Minnesota lakes area, is managed by an all-volunteer group. The organization partnered with the Area Relations Department of a tribal government’s casino to produce playing card sets for retail sale. The casino asked to have its logo on the card box.
The cards feature Paul Bunyan sites, scenes and stories. A local art student designed the first set of cards.
A photography student created the second set of cards.
When:
The first set of cards was produced in 2002; the second set in 2004. A third set planned for 2006 was to be available for the Christmas 2005 sales season.
Where:
The cards were available at a variety of sites along the byway, including gift shops, lodges, Chamber of Commerce offices, and at the partnering casino. The byway volunteers delivered decks for sale to the interested sellers.
How:
The tribal casino brokered the printing contract and paid all production costs for 1,000 decks of cards in exchange for placing the casino logo on the deck boxes. The byway organization worked with the school students and coordinated some of the printing work.
The casino sold 100 decks; the byway organization received 900 decks to sell. The byway organization sold the decks to area retailers for $3.50 per deck. Resale value was generally $5 to $5.95 per deck. Some decks were given away as byway awareness builders.
Funding Potential:
The byway organization sold 900 sets the first year; the casino sold 100 decks. Retailers paid a $3.50/pack dealer cost and sold the cards for $5 to $5.95. The byway organization estimates sales of the two editions of the decks made a total of $5,000.
Why Byway-Theme Casino Cards:
• Support byway awareness-building
• Develop both supporting and selling partnerships with byway region businesses
• Develop a community link to local artists/students
Resources:
 |
This project was funded in part by a |
 |
 | |