It's getting to be a habit, Acoma Pueblo's Sky City Casino giving away a $100,000-plus big rig every year. For the fourth year in a row the annual event attracted thousands of 18-wheeler jockeys from across the States.

As one of the casinos on Interstate 40, it's easy to understand why Acoma bosses have, over the years, reached out to these cross- country drivers with special offers on food, lodging, gaming incentives and creature comforts like private laundry facilities, showers, postal services and individual communication cubicles including Internet access.

At 8 p.m. Sept. 21, the drawing for the Kenworth T-660 tractor was held -- and the winner was Robert D. Warren of Carthage, Miss. Warren is a longtime crosscountry driver and has been a card- carrying member of Sky City's player's club going on 10 years.

Plans for next year's bigrig promotion are under way at the casino, with details coming by year's end.

Acoma's three-month "Feel Like a Millionaire" promotion just wrapped, and it's made dreams come true for several Sky City patrons and their families. Entrants picked one of three prize categories, then simply filled out a ballot and wrote a bit about what would make them feel like a millionaire.

Weekly winning amounts varied from $7,500 to $40,000. The winners included Elma DeLeon of Milan, N.M., whose dream was to help her daughter and granddaughter in Phoenix furnish their new home. She bought them bedroom and living room furniture. Dennis Rodriquez, also of Milan, dreamed of a complete home theater system and a 50- inch plasma TV. He got his dream. Mary Leyba, from the Grants area, won $7,500 to help her finish remodeling her home.

Patsy Baca of Seboyeta, N.M., wished for a red living room set, a red front-loading washer and dryer and a 42-inch plasma TV -- all her red wishes came true.

One of the last big winners was Leo Bergeron of Grants. His wanted to visit family back east, family he hadn't seen in nine years. Bergeron's dream was shattered when, a few months ago, he wrecked his car, injuring him. He's still feeling the effects of the accident, but the $25,000 cash award he won helps those hurts go away. That and the fact that Sky City decided to put Bergeron in a 2009 Ford Focus, picking up the tab.

PERSONNEL MATTERS:

Native sons Dennis Garcia and Scott Eldredge have both assumed interim general manager posts at their respective casinos.

Garcia, a native of Belen, is currently wearing a pair of bonnets at San Felipe Pueblo's Casino Hollywood. He continues as chief financial officer and is also interim general manager. Garcia brings more than a decade of local gaming experience to the task, having been an assistant G.M. at Sandia, plus he had managerial posts at Laguna Pueblo's Dancing Eagle and was previously a ranking director at Casino Hollywood.

Eldredge is also wearing two robes of responsibility at Santa Ana's Star Casino. He continues as the casino's marketing director while shouldering the general manager's mantle as well. Eldredge, a Duke City native, began his odyssey in gaming by signing on with the Maloof family. He became a roving manager at Maloof hotels in New Mexico, and then was among the initial bosses at Maloof's Colorado casinos.