Once considered the bastion of self-absorbed junkies, it has grown financial wings, all the way to mainstream gaming outlets. Imagine that!

An estimaated 20 million players have created a multibillion-dollar business and penetrated the hallowed halls of the casinos.

Just as poker left the realm of kitchen tables for gambling halls, fantasy football visits the gambling establishments with live drafts for its increasingly lucrative leagues. Even the book operators have jumped in. Station Casinos became the first operator in the country to post fantasy football lines last year.

Now comes the ultimate crossover—seven-figure talk. Even though it’s a long shot, Las Vegas now hosts the first tournaments linked to a $1 million payoff. The National Fantasy Football Championship (www.fantasyfootballchampionship.com) occurs August 29 and 30 at the Flamingo. Its live draft will be complemented by similar events in Orlando, New York and Chicago.

Winning against a field of thousands in a season-long event is difficult enough. But now, for publicity’s sake at least, NBC has announced an affiliation with the NFFC surrounding a second tournament. Should anyone pull TWO needles out of the haystack and somehow capture both events, that individual collects a $1 million bonus. Entering both tournaments will likely cost more than $2,000.

“We would love to be the first people to pay out $1 million,” said Greg Ambrosius, president of the NFFC.

The same goes for the World Championship of Fantasy Football (wcoff.com), set for its annual draft September 4 through 7 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Entry fees are stiffer, but the top prize is $300,000 for first place; $60,000 for second; $30,000 for third; $15,000 for fourth; and $10,000 for fifth. Top 15 places receive no less than $3,500. And, two needles in THIS haystack result in a $3 million price tag.

No wonder fantasy has become reality. Although seven-figure payouts are pie-in-the-sky recruitment tools, winning one tournament can provide a huge windfall.

Many high-level leagues have similar, multiple components. In the NFFC, for example, live drafts place teams in 14-team leagues. Over the course of 13 weeks, teams vie in head-to-head competition. A second phase concerns season point total. If one team sweeps both elements, it wins $5,000 heading into the second tournament, combined points from weeks 14 through 16. If one team has the best record and another owns the point title, they square off for league supremacy in the second tournament. They are also entered in the $100,000 playoff.

Check the websites for updated rules.

By Dave Bontempo

Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.

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