Mega Buck Bowling Truth and Lies

Megabuck bowling in Las Vegas has been around for over 25 years. In it’s hey day thousands of bowlers would flock to The City of Lights to have a chance at huge prizes…much larger than was available to pros. Today, with the number of league bowlers declining rapidly, and the scoring environment out of control, the number of megabuck participants has dwindled to around 1,500 bowlers.

The ironic part of the megabuck business is as the number of participants has declined more people are trying to run these types of events in Las Vegas. While this has increased the number of options bowlers have it has reduced the number of total entries at any one event.

The increased number of events has also destroyed the night action (sweepers) that use to be one of the strengths of the megabucks. No longer can a bowler come to Vegas and shoot for a $10,000 top prize in a sweeper each night. Also, since the casinos and industry sponsors have numerous choices on which event they want to host or partner with the financial support the megabucks receive has gone down dramatically!

Bowling tournaments come and go but the megabuck events are here to stay. The High Roller, TAT, and The Mini-Eliminator are three staples in Las Vegas. All are good events offering bowlers a unique opportunity to compete on a worldwide stage. Although in a perfect world it would be best if the three events worked together the reality is they are each going after the same customer and their entry money. While there has been some cooperation among the three promoters each will continue to operate as a separate entity and be competitors in a declining market.

Which megabuck to bowl in?

If a bowler had an unlimited amount of time and money they should compete in all three events if eligible. But since this is not reality for most below is a chart comparing the events.

Mini-Eliminator

High Roller

TAT

Host

Texas Station   

Sam’s Town

Orleans

Ball Sponsor  

Columbia 300  

Storm  

Ebonite

Format

3-game qualifying

1 game elimination

3-game qualifying

Eligibility

Amateur Only
(50+ pros allowed)

Amateur Only
(other restrictions)

Amateur Only
(other restrictions)

Divisions

4 divisions +

3 divisions +

5 divisions

1st entry

$200 w/certificate

$260

$260 (w/ball)

Re-entries

$99-$160

$175

$120-$150

Top Prize

$20,000

$20,000

$25,000

# of bowlers In Last Day Finals

200
(1 in 8)

68
(fixed) 

100+
(Can’t determine)

Cashing Prize

$500   

$1,000

$500   

 

Event Summaries and Biggest Attractions

The Mini-Eliminator:  The biggest attraction to The Mini is 1 in 8 per squad per division advances to the finals and has a chance to win the tournament on the last day. All finalists are guaranteed $500. Close to 40% of all entrants will make the finals and shoot for the $20,000 top prize. The Mini also features the only match play sweeper in Vegas plus the Columbia Shootout where all entrants receive a high performance ball with their $200 entry and shoot for $20,000 in prize money.

The High Roller: The biggest attraction to The High Roller is 1 in 8 earns $1,000 and this can be done every day twice a day. Although this event offers the largest bottom prizes it is definitely the toughest event in Vegas to make the finals and shoot for the top prizes. The other drawback to this event is the top bowlers (professional amateurs) can keep on earning $1,000 twice a day thus hurting the average league bowler from earning money.

TAT: The biggest attraction to the TAT is you receive a free ball with your first entry. TAT also offers many different smaller events, some included in your entry fee. The perception with TAT is their field is much weaker than the other megabuck events. The reality is 98% of the bowlers eligible for the Mini or High Roller are also eligible for TAT.   

The bottom line is all three megabuck events are credible and worth bowling. Maybe you can get lucky and win one, two or all three! See you in Las Vegas!