• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Tuesday, January 30, 2007 11:45 AM

Procter & Gamble's over-the-counter heartburn medication Prilosec has gone bonkers over bunco--an old pastime played with three dice that now has four regional tournaments and a nationally televised Bunco World Championship.

When the "Bunco World Tour" kicked off with a tournament in Kansas City, Mo., attended by 135 players recently, P&G had a pharmacist on hand to answer questions about heartburn and pass out samples of Prilosec OTC. Another P&G brand, Folgers, passed out free coffee, including its indigestion-friendly line, "Simply Smooth."

P&G has signed a contract with Leslie Crouch, a Newport Beach, Calif., entrepreneur who founded the World Bunco Association 11 years ago, and has spent the past decade purchasing trademarks and Web addresses associated with the word "bunco." P&G has licensed Crouch's trademarks through 2008.

About 59 million women in the U.S. have played bunco, with 21 million playing on a regular basis. Six out of 10 women said they made buying decisions based on recommendations from members of their bunco group.

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