Royal Oak Man Wins $1M Super Bowl Bet Using Locally Developed App

ROYAL OAK, MI — The New England Patriots weren’t the only big winners in Super Bowl LI Sunday. Dominic Mirabella, 39, of Royal Oak, won $1 million using the FourPlay Football app developed by a Birmingham business, according to media reports.

Mirabella didn’t just bet on one game. Using the app, each player picks four teams to win, based on the app's spreads, and are allowed a 14-point teaser. If all four picks are correct, they collect a set amount of "Juice" from each player who did not make four correct picks that week.

Mirabella placed successful bets in all 17 weeks of the regular NFL season, as well as during the playoffs.

Around Thanksgiving, Mirabella realized the $1 million payoff was within his grasp.

“It’s funny how surreal it is … while still being exciting,” he told the WXYZ-TV before the Super Bowl game.

Now, fast forward to Sunday’s stunning comeback by the Patriots.

Mirabella told The Detroit News it was “like a morgue” in the third quarter when the Patriots trailed the Atlanta Falcons, 28-3. But then came the Patriots’ historic comeback to a 34-28 win, and Mirabella’s windfall.

He told The Detroit News it is doubly sweet because the FourPlay Football app was developed by a local company as an alternative to fantasy football.

“I hope FourPlay really takes off after this,” he said.

In a news release announcing the $1 million prize last fall, FourPlay Football co-founder C.J. Karchon said traditional fantasy football can be too time consuming for many players.

"There’s a market for a game that takes less time while providing the same thrills. That’s exactly what we have here,” Karchon said.. “Users love a game experience founded on rooting for a team instead of an individual performance.”

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