Devoted Lions fan, casino owner gives away charter plane tickets to Sunday's game
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A former Detroit resident and current Las Vegas casino owner has given away two charter plane tickets to see the Detroit Lions play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in Santa Clara, California.
Patrons at the Las Vegas Circa Resort & Casino each got one entry to the giveaway for wearing NFL gear Saturday night, casino owner Derek Stevens told The Detroit News. Patrons also could buy up to 10 additional giveaway entries for every $100 prop bet they placed on the Lions-49ers game, he said.
As the giveaway's grand prize, the round-trip charter plane tickets will take patrons to Santa Clara on Sunday morning and back Sunday night, Stevens said. The giveaway took place Saturday night.
Patrons didn't have to be Lions fans to enter the giveaway, but Stevens said he hoped a Lions fan would win.
The winner was a woman named Melissa; the casino didn't provide a last name.
It's unclear if she's a Lions fan. But if not, maybe she will become one Sunday.
"We're all going to be decked out in our Honolulu blue," said Stevens, who also owns The D Las Vegas.
Inspiration for the giveaway struck Stevens last Sunday as he watched the Lions defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field, he said. Stevens and friends spent the pregame at his favorite bar, Nemo's in Corktown.
"There are a lot of Lions fans in Vegas, so we flew a bunch of people off to Detroit," Stevens said of chartering a plane for invited casino guests last week.
Witnessing the Lions' historic win together was enough to convince Stevens to offer the experience again to patrons, he said.
Stevens was born and raised in Metro Detroit before moving to Las Vegas to grow his casino business. Despite the distance, Stevens has kept his devotion to the team and city in the time since, he said.
"My first Lions game was at Tiger Stadium, and then I saw the Lions win a playoff game in the early '90s at the Silverdome," said Stevens, 56. "So yeah, I'm a lifelong Lions fan."
Stevens also is a big Michigan fan, and recently saw his Wolverines win the football national championship. He was at his casino Saturday night wearing a No. 97 Lions jersey, for Aidan Hutchinson, the current Lions star and former Michigan standout.
