Bills Partner with Pointstreak 5050 to Bring Gameday Raffle to Fans
Sep 6th, 2013 |
Gameday experience at Ralph Wilson Stadium enhanced by 50/50 raffle
ORCHARD PARK, NY – The Buffalo Bills have announced an exciting new addition to the gameday experience at Ralph Wilson Stadium. When the Bills take the field at Ralph Wilson Stadium in their season opener on September 8th, they will do so with a new partner: Pointstreak 5050. The Buffalo Bills, the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County, and the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, are teaming up with Pointstreak 5050 on an innovative platform to raise charitable funds for the Buffalo community and Western New York region through an electronic 50/50 raffle. The Pointstreak 5050 system enables raffle tickets to be sold through mobile sellers utilizing electronic handheld devices, portable printers, and a number of stationary selling terminals around Ralph Wilson Stadium. Updated raffle jackpot totals will be displayed in real time on the main scoreboard, LED ribbons, and monitors throughout the stadium, as well as on a dedicated microsite where fans can follow along at home.
“We’ve wanted to run a 50/50 raffle for several years, so once the NFL notified its teams that we could pursue this, we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Pointstreak 5050,” said Bruce Popko, Sr. VP of Business Development for the Buffalo Bills. “We are currently undergoing some major renovations to the stadium, including a technology upgrade, and Pointstreak’s technological expertise and knowledge will help us bridge the gap between the old and the new. We know that the passion of our fans will help us make this program a big success, as we’ll be able to give even more back to the Buffalo community.”
Fans have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets in some tailgate areas before the game and in the stadium when the gates open. Tickets will be sold until the end of the 3rd quarter, with a winner announced early in the 4th quarter. One lucky fan will win half of the evening's net proceeds. The balance less expenses will go to a select gameday charitable partner.
"The Buffalo Bills are a tremendous community partner, and we are so grateful to them for providing this extraordinary opportunity for fans to support our community,” said Michael Weiner, President & CEO of the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. “This type of fundraising initiative makes it easy for people to be generous, and will make a tremendous difference for local nonprofits and the people they serve."
Bart Kendall, Sr. VP of Pointstreak Sports Technologies, added, “With its proximity to Canada, a terrific 50/50 market, combined with the passion and loyalty of Buffalo Bills fans, as well as the strong support of Bills management, we expect this 50/50 partnership to be a big success and raise significant money for numerous area charities.”
About the United Way
The United Way of Buffalo & Erie County brings people, organizations, and resources together to improve community wellbeing. Through program funding, community collaborations and strategic initiatives in the areas of Education, Income, and Health and Wellness, United Way helps children reach their full potential, adults and families achieve financial stability, and people of all ages achieve and maintain physical, social and emotional health. For more information, visit www.uwbec.org.
About Poinstreak 5050
Pointstreak 5050 (Formerly 5050 Central), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pointstreak Sports Technologies Inc., is a raffle software that drives consumer participation in raffle events while providing accountability to the raffle process. The Pointstreak 5050 system electronically captures every transaction while providing updated real-time raffle information to display devices located throughout the venue. Tickets are sold to fans through fixed touch-screen terminals and mobile devices, creating an effortless data collection system providing faster sales transaction, longer selling periods, accountability and substantial increases in average raffle proceeds. Pointstreak 5050 boasts some of sports' best brands as clients, including the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Braves, Calgary Flames, and Phoenix Coyotes. For more information, visit www.pointstreak5050.com.
Founded in 1959, the Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have won two American Football League (AFL) Championships (1964 - 1965) and won an NFL record four straight AFC Championships (1990 - 1993) that included four trips to the Super Bowl. The Bills are a progressive organization and pride themselves on the regionalization of their team. They hold their training camp in Rochester, NY and were the first NFL team ever to play a home game in Canada with the Bills Toronto Series that began in 2008. As Western New York’s top-rated sports and entertainment choice, the Bills annually entertain three quarters of a million fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium, produce the region’s number-one rated sports television programming, have one of the NFL’s largest fan clubs with the Bills Backers, and host the most visited team website in Western New York. Under the guidance of Hall of Fame member and original team founder, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., the Bills will play one regular season game in Toronto in 2013. For more Bills information, visit buffalobills.com, call (716) 648-1800, become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/buffalobills, follow the Bills on Twitter at twitter.com/buffalobills or get the Bills mobile app via buffalobills.com/fans/mobile-app.html
