Following up on your recent question about casino winnings being paid electronically, I have heard for several years that during the National Finals Rodeo, soon to start, each night the winning cowboys get paid in cash. Is that true? Over 10 performances, that is a lot of money that potentially could remain in Las Vegas.
We don't think so, but we couldn't come up with a definitive answer. The NFR publicity department begged off, which didn't surprise us, since if it's true, that would put the officials and big winners in serious jeopardy.
We did manage to unearth an unofficial answer as follows. "National Finals Rodeo winners are not paid directly in cash. Instead, they receive their winnings through cash equivalents, such as checks or direct deposits. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), which organizes the NFR, ensures that the prize money is distributed in an official and secure manner."
That makes sense to us. Consider that this year, the total payout for the Finals will be $16.2 million. Round winners will take home $30,706 and average winnings will be in the vicinity of $80,000.
It's hard for us to imagine, especially in this day and age, that PRCA officials have stockpiled 162,000 hundred-dollar bills, to say nothing of all the $20s, $10s, $5s, and $1s needed to make change. Or even that they're walking around Thomas and Mack with bundles of $31,000 for the round winners, who then have to safeguard that same cash. If they really are paid in cash and word got around, think of the opportunities for armed robbers or even B&E thieves.
Again, we couldn't verify any of this, so if anyone has more information, we'd certainly appreciate reading about it in the comments.
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BryanrLV
Dec-14-2024
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