The All Sports Association will host its third annual Casino Night fundraiser on October 16 from 5:30-9:00 p.m. at the Legendary Marine showroom, featuring a new Raffle Royale component with escalating cash prizes culminating in a $10,000 grand prize.

• The event marks the first time the casino night will operate as a standalone fundraiser rather than being tied to the organization’s banquet week, according to Drew Armacost, Secretary of All Sports Association. This year’s banquet will be held on February 20 and feature guest speaker NFL Hall of Famer, Derrick Brooks. 

“On October 16th, we’re having our third annual casino night,” Armacost said. “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.”

Attendees have two ways to gain entry to the event. General admission tickets cost $50 and include catered food from The Bald and Beard Restaurant Group, a DJ and casino gaming featuring blackjack, poker, craps and roulette.

• Alternatively, participants can purchase a $100 Raffle Royale ticket, which includes the same food, gaming and entertainment while also providing entry into the cash prize raffle. Attendees will try to build up their chip value to exchange for raffle tickets toward four big prizes set aside for casino night winners. 

The new Raffle Royale will sell 500 tickets at $100 each, with all tickets drawn during the evening. Six specific tickets will win cash prizes: the first ticket drawn wins $100, the 100th ticket wins $250, the 200th ticket wins $500, the 300th ticket wins $1,000, the 400th ticket wins $2,500, and the final 500th ticket drawn wins the grand prize of $10,000.

• “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 will be distributed randomly throughout the evening between the cash drawings. Many prizes are donated by members, member businesses and the four main beneficiary organizations, with some packages valued over $500. Last year’s donations included a Yeti cooler package with various items.

“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 benefit what the organization calls “the big four” – the Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast, Eleanor Johnson Youth Center, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and Special Olympics. The association also fields funding requests throughout the year from various high school and middle school sports teams and other nonprofit sports-affiliated organizations in surrounding 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.”

Armacost emphasized the organization’s community focus and the impact of youth sports participation.

“That’s really what we’re about – trying to provide for these kids that are participating in sports,” he said. “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 serve as the main sponsors. Additional sponsorship opportunities range from $1,000 to $10,000, with the top Casino Night Title Sponsor level ($10,000) including 10 Raffle Royale tickets, 10 gaming tickets, reserved parking, 10 VIP drink wristbands, social media promotion and signage recognition. 

• The Royal Flush sponsor level ($5,000) includes five Raffle Royale tickets, five gaming tickets, reserved dining and gaming seats, five VIP wristbands and event signage.

The All Sports Association has operated for 55 years with approximately 150 members comprising active members, associate members and past presidents. Despite its long history, Armacost noted many community members remain unaware of the organization’s work.

“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,” he said. “This is an organization that has a very rich history and they’ve been doing really good things for a really long time.”

For those unfamiliar with casino games, Armacost emphasized the event focuses on fun and community networking rather than serious gambling skills.

• “People hear ‘casino night’ and think they need to know how to play blackjack, craps or roulette,” he said. “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.”

The organization operates entirely through volunteer efforts from its membership.

“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.Tickets and sponsorship information are available here.