TROY, Mich. – Dominic Mirabella is a financial advisor in Troy. He doesn’t gamble, but he does dabble in friendly competition.
“It’s really just the competition among friends that’s the most fun about it,” Mirabella said.
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This football season, his friends got him involved in a league with FourPlay Football. It’s an app created by Rochester Hills native Jeff Johnson and his co-founder. It’s like fantasy football, except instead of picking players, you pick four NFL teams you think will win each week.
“It’s not gambling, we have a strict gambling prohibition,” Johnson said. “FourPlay is a lot like March Madness software.”
In its second year, FourPlay decided to up the ante for the 4,000 people playing.
“This year we offered a million dollar prize for a perfect season,” Johnson said, “A contestant would have to go 21-0 and each pick would have to be correct.”
The odds of that happening: 1-in-5-million. And yet, Mirabella is on the cusp of doing it. He’s had the magic touch since week one.
“I was joking about it around Thanksgiving with family, and the joke just kept lasting,” Mirabella said.
Now, all Mirabella has to do is pick the Super Bowl winner and he’s $1 million richer.
He turned down FourPlay’s offer of a trip to Vegas this weekend. He prefers to keep his routine the same, watch the game in his man cave with his wife and kids.
“Either way, whether I win or don’t win on Sunday, I’ll be here at work on Monday,” he said.
Mirabella hasn’t made his pick yet. He said he plans to "go with his gut." If he does win, he said he wants to donate to some charities close to his heart.