No such luck, according to Las Vegas Events, which presents the rodeo. You’d need to back up an armored truck to handle some of the prize purses, which this year have escalated into $75,000 range for the top winners. So you can see how dispensing that lucre in cash would be problematic, even if some of the cowpokes who place lower can walk away with as little as $150 in prize money. Besides, it would make the NFR a tempting target for armed robbery. "That's a lot of cash hanging around [a total of $10 million in purses]," said a Las Vegas Events spokeswoman, "and we don’t do that for safety reasons."
"Each contestant has an account set up through ProRodeo," explains Rodeo Media Relations' Ted Harbin, "and the money goes into those accounts, kind of like a credit card that they can utilize for expenses as they come up." That's a heck of a lot more convenient – and practical – than traipsing about a casino carrying a thick wad of rodeo winnings. As for the happiness of the casinos, as long as they're willing to process a Pro Rodeo card, we don't think you need worry about their happiness, especially with all the ancillary revenue that the rodeo brings to town. Those cowboys and their families have to eat, after all – to say nothing of shopping and maybe taking in a show, even if they’re not competing in the NFR and are just here for the spectacle. Since 1985, more than 1 million visitors have traveled to Las Vegas specifically for the NFR and they pump some $60 million/year into the local economy.
