• by David Goetzl , April 20, 2010

No, even though the mayor of Sin City is desperate for a hockey team, the NHL is not putting an expansion club there. But when it comes to building an email list, the league has had success with using sweepstakes offering free Vegas trips as a platform.

At the MediaPost Email Insider Summit, NHL direct marketing executive Amie Ray said the league has been able to enlarge its database hugely by collecting email addresses from people entering the Vegas giveways. Prizes such as signed Crosby or Ovechkin jerseys evidently can't compete.

"Sweepstakes work!" Ray said. "Everyone and their friends want a trip to Vegas."

The NHL's win-a-trip-to-Vegas offering did "gangbusters" as far as collecting customer data. A mere picture of the Strip on NHL.com generated immense interest, Ray said, even though it had little to do with pucks and nets.

The NHL frequently co-runs sweeptsakes with marketers that serve as official league sponsors.