The All Sports Association will host its third annual Casino Night fundraiser on October 16 at the Legendary Marine showroom in Emerald Coast, featuring a Raffle Royale with escalating cash prizes culminating in a $10,000 grand prize. This marks the first time the event will be held independently from the association’s banquet week.
Drew Armacost, Secretary of All Sports Association, explained the change: “On October 16th, we’re having our third annual casino night. We felt that this was an event that could operate as a standalone event instead of being tied into banquet week like it has been in the past.” The upcoming banquet is scheduled for February 20 and will feature guest speaker Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Derrick Brooks.
Two types of entry are available for attendees. General admission tickets cost $50 and include catered food from The Bald and Beard Restaurant Group, along with access to a DJ and casino gaming such as blackjack, poker, craps and roulette. Alternatively, participants can purchase a $100 Raffle Royale ticket, which includes general admission benefits plus entry into the cash prize raffle.
Raffle Royale tickets are limited to 500 at $100 each. Six tickets will win cash prizes: “The cool thing about that is that you do not have to be present to win, and you can buy more than one ticket,” Armacost said. “If you wanted to buy four or five tickets then you would have four or five chances at winning the $10,000 cash prize.”
Additional surprise giveaways donated by members or partner organizations will be distributed during the evening between cash drawings. Last year’s donations included items such as a Yeti cooler package.
“We’ve had items donated by members and member businesses. We’ve also had baskets donated by our big four each year,” Armacost said. “And those are usually the bigger prizes. They typically put together raffle baskets in excess of a $500 value.”
Proceeds from Casino Night support local youth through what All Sports Association calls “the big four” — Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast, Eleanor Johnson Youth Center, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), and Special Olympics — as well as school sports teams and other nonprofit athletic organizations throughout nearby communities.
“All of the money that we raise is for the kids at the end of the day,” Armacost said. “Over the last few years we have been able to raise well over a million dollars for youth athletics.” He further emphasized: “That’s really what we’re about – trying to provide for these kids that are participating in sports (…) We’ve always strongly believed that student athletes embody many admirable qualities, and that’s something we continue to value deeply.”
Renovation Flooring and Elite Cabinet Designs are sponsoring this year’s event as Title Sponsors; sponsorship opportunities range from $1,000 up to $10,000 with tiered benefits depending on level.
Armacost reflected on community engagement: “All Sports has been around for 55 years now, and it’s a little amazing to me how many people in the community still don’t know who we are or what we do (…) This is an organization that has a very rich history and they’ve been doing really good things for a really long time.”
He added reassurance for newcomers concerned about gambling experience: “People hear ‘casino night’ and think they need to know how to play blackjack, craps or roulette (…) Really the whole premise of the evening is just to have a good time. It’s a great networking opportunity for people within the community.”
Concluding on volunteer commitment: “We are a nonprofit organization made up of about 150 men and we do this all out of just the kindness of our hearts and trying to give back to the community that we live in,” Armacost said.
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