Author Archives: Kristen Carter

About Kristen Carter

Kristen Carter was the Marketing Coordinator for Odds On Promotions and it's sister company, Hole In One International. From 2011-2013 and 2013-2021.

Odds On Promotions logo with phone

120-Foot Putting Contest Winner Scores $100K

Inver Grove Heights, Minn – You know the old adage ‘drive show, putt for dough’, right? Well, for putting contest winner Paul Shadle, a pilot from Rosemount, nailing not one, but 3 impressive putts landed him a South Bay pontoon boat (valued at approximately $75,000) courtesy of Nelson Marine, plus $25K in cash, to assist with taxes, during the 2018 Venture Bank Minnesota Golf Show.

The $100K Pontoon Putt, a fixture of the Minnesota Golf show, is not only a popular part of the show, it’s a fundraiser for First Tee. To qualify as a potential finalist for the Pontoon Putt Contest, attendees needed to first stop by the 1500 ESPN Tent during the first two and half days of the show and make a $5 donation for three chances to make a qualifying putt. Then, on Sunday, all the qualifiers returned for a “putt off”, to further narrow the field.

Shadle successfully holed his second putt on the initial qualifier, going on to win Sunday’s putt off, making him this year’s lucky finalist who got the chance to make a 120-foot putt for the grand prize.

And what it putt it was! Shadle’s winning shot was not only covered by the local media and CBS Sports, he was featured on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. What’s more, the big prize putt contest raised $4K for First Tee.

Are you looking for a way to make your sponsorship dollars work harder and smarter – off the golf course? Need fresh ideas for your next fundraiser? Want to add the thrill of big prizes to your next special event? Looking to have a putting contest winner of your own? Odds On Promotions can help.

To learn more, email or give Odds On Promotions a call today at 1-888-827-2249.

Summer Promotion Ideas for Your Business

Summer Promotion Ideas - SafecrackerCapture More Customers with Big Prizes
Sales Driving Summer Promotion Ideas from $500

Looking for some “hot” summer promotion ideas? Get customers lining up to crack the code and win up to 1MM paid for by Odds On with Safecracker.

Customers enter their choice of digits for a shot to win your grand prize.

This promotion is portable, fits easily on any counter top and can be programmed to award a variety of consolation prize.

Learn More >


Summer Promotion Ideas - FootballFootball Contests that Get Results.

No matter how you’d like to leverage the popularity of college or pro football, Odds On has a promotion for you.

• Run a “Run it back for a Rebate” online giveaway tied to a local college or pro team.

• Sponsor a Pass, Punt & Kick contest for tuition – or a new car – at your local college.

• Help your local high school by holding a fundraising field goal kick at halftime.

Download our Football Playbook and get in the game this Fall.

More Football Ideas >


Summer Promotion Ideas - Scratch CardsMake it a Scratch & Match Summer.

Drive sales and traffic this summer with a custom scratch card promotion.

Odds On will customize a Scratch, Match & Win card featuring your logo and prize. You’ll distribute the cards to your customers. If a lucky contestant locates a winning combination of symbols, we write the check.

More Summer Ideas >

Fishing Contest Winner Nets Over $350K With Record-Breaking Catch

Fishing Contest Winner

Biloxi, Miss. –- Congratulations go out to fishing contest winner Scott Cothran who won over $350,000 in cash and prizes, after he caught a record-breaking swordfish on the aptly named vessel, “Pay Dirt” during the 2017 Mississippi Gulf Coast Billfish Classic.

Cothran broke the Mississippi state record for largest swordfish when he landed a 242-pound, 8.64 ounce fish. The prior record was a 75-pounder caught in 2007.

In addition to winning $51,075 and a Petro Nissan pickup truck, Cothran scored a grand total of $325K, paid for by Odds On Promotions, in a Records, Rods and Reels (Calcutta) promotion ($100K for catching a record-breaking swordfish, $100K for being on a Freeman Vessel, $50K for using Hilton’s RT Nav, $25K for using March Tacky Carbon product, $25K for using a Poseidon Fishing Rod, and $25K for using Killer Bee product).

Cothran, director of marketing and sales for Freeman Boatworks in Charleston, S.C., said it took plenty of teamwork from all seven crew members aboard the boat, “Catching a fish that size takes a group effort,” he said. “I just happened to be the one on the rod at the time.”

Planning a fishing tournament or other outdoor event and want to increase attendance and participation? Perhaps even have a fishing contest winner of your own? Odds On Promotions can assist you in doubling, tripling or even quadrupling your prize pool. Email or give Odds On Promotions a call today at 888-827-2249.

Tax Day Promotion Idea: EZ Money Lucky Envelopes

Tax Day Promotion - Lucky EnvelopesLooking for a Tax Day promotion for your business? Advertise the chance to win $10,400 this April with Odds On’s 1040 E-Z Money Lucky Envelopes game.

Register everyone who visits your business between now and April 15th. Then, invite everyone back to your final event where you will select a lucky contestant or two and give them the chance to select from a collection of Lucky Envelopes filled with different cash prizes.

If a lucky finalist can select the envelope or combination of envelopes that adds up to 1040, they’ll win $10,400 and Odds On Promotions will pay for the prize.

Need more Tax Day promotion ideas?

Need more ideas for a Tax Day promotion or another April promotion you’d like to insure? Give Odds On Promotions a call today at 888-827-2249 and we’ll help you craft the perfect contest that will help drive traffic and sales to your business location.

Learn More >

More April Promotions >

Employee Appreciation Day: The Countdown Begins!

Employee Appreciation Day is March 2nd. What are you doing to show gratitude to your employees? How about giving them a chance to count down to big-prize payouts with one of these 5 Employee Appreciation Day promotions!

Need more time to secure prize insurance? Have a company-wide event occurring on a different date? No problem — these promotions can be insured any day of the year! After all, who says you have to wait until a designated day to show your employees how much you care and show off their accolades?

Ready to count down with us? Here we go…

Employee Appreciation Day Putting Contest5.) Employee Putt for Prizes
Whether indoor or outdoor, holding an insured prize putting contest at your company has never been easier, thanks to Odds On’s portable putting contest ramp! Select the format of the putting contest that best suits your needs and watch your employee(s) attempt to hole the putt. We typically recommend a 50-foot or longer putt in order to keep your cost down, but let us know if you had something else in mind!


Employee Appreciation Day Dice Roll4.) You Keep Us On a Roll
Thank your employees for keeping business goals on a roll with an insured prize dice roll contest with Odds On Promotions. Advertise the chance for them to win cash, a giant discount, a new car, or an attention-grabbing $1,000,000 shopping spree, with just a roll of the dice! Simply choose a predetermined number of employees, hand them a set of our 1″, 4″, 8″ or 16″ dice and get ready for fun. If they can roll a winning combination of your logos or letters (i.e. N-E-W-C-A-R, B-I-G-B-U-C-K-S, etc.), they’ll be rolling in dough, and Odds On will pay for the prize.

Be sure to award employees with self-provided prizes for rolling a lesser amount of winning letters/company logos! Oh, and we promise not to judge if you just want to have the traditional dots/pips on the dice instead… 😉


Employee Appreciation Day Prize Slot3.) A “Gem” of an Employee
Show your gratitude this Employee Appreciation Day by giving your employees the chance to win a giant-prize jackpot, paid for by Odds On Promotions, with the mere press of a button! With Odds On’s Gem-themed prize slot, you can give your employees the chance to spin the reels and win a grand prize, or one of five self-sponsored consolation prizes. And, when the pay table says you’ve got a grand prize winner, Odds On will be there to write the check!

Looking for another theme that better suits your company or industry? Check out all of the themes we have available — or, with enough lead time, we can customize one for you!


Employee Appreciation Day Prize Vault2.) Code-breaker Cash
Recognize and reward your team with the chance to win life-changing prizes, paid for by Odds On! For example, you could place the keys to a new car or truck inside Odds On’s Prize Vault and give every team member the chance to guess the winning combination and win a car.

The process is simple: employees simply enter their choice of digits on the vault’s touchscreen for a chance to win your grand prize, or smaller self-insured consolation prizes. If a lucky team member cracks the code, they’ll win big and Odds On will write the check!


Employee Appreciation Day Lucky Envelopes1.) $100K Thanks a Latte
Create an internal performance contest or randomly select a team member every week and give them the chance to win a super-sized bonus with Odds On’s “Thanks a Latte” Lucky Envelopes promotion.

Odds On will ship you 20 Lucky Envelopes, each containing a pre-determined dollar amount which you’ll display in the container of your choice (think coffee cups with gift cards, which you can give away at the end of the day).

If your lucky contestant can select the three envelopes from your display that add up to $100, Odds On will write them a check for $100,000.


For questions, or if you’re interested in obtaining a free, no-obligation quote on any of the above Employee Appreciation Day promotions, please email us or give us a call today at 888-827-2249!