Circa Survivor Contest Set to Break $20 Million Prize Record

The Circa Survivor contest is on track to exceed a remarkable prize pool of $20 million, significantly surpassing last year’s record of $14.2 million and this year’s initial guarantee of $15 million. With just a month to go before the NFL season opener, the contest has already garnered 4,100 entries as of Sunday. This figure reflects a substantial increase from the 2,800 entries on the same day last year, which ultimately led to a historic total of 14,266 entries.

Mike Palm, the vice president of operations for Circa, D Las Vegas and Golden Gate, expressed optimism about the contest’s growth. “We’re pacing just a little over 40 percent up,” he noted, indicating a strong trajectory that could push the prize pool beyond $20 million. Palm highlighted last year’s final days, during which the contest saw entries averaging $1 million a day, stating, “Doing 1,400 entries a day is tough to get that many people through. But I’m very bullish on us getting to $20 million.”

Participants in the Circa Survivor contest select one straight-up NFL winner each week, without involving point spreads, and can only use each team once throughout the season. The contest includes 20 legs, covering NFL Weeks 1 through 18, plus games on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas.

In addition to the Survivor contest, Circa is launching a new high-stakes contest called Grandissimo. This contest features a $100,000 entry fee and guarantees a prize of $1.5 million for the winner. Palm set an informal over-under of 30.5 entries for this new competition, which requires just 15 entries to meet the guarantee and has already received 11 entries. He expressed confidence in reaching the target, stating, “If there wasn’t, poker players would come and gobble up the overlay.”

Circa Million VII, another prominent contest, is also keeping pace with last year’s figures, having drawn 5,817 entries thus far. This contest requires participants to make five weekly NFL picks against the spread and aims for a total of 6,000 entries to meet the $6 million prize guarantee.

Palm will host a free “Circa Football Preview” event on August 23, 2023, at 2 p.m. in the Galaxy Ballroom of the hotel. The panel will feature notable figures from the sports betting community, including pro sports bettor Chuck Edel, NBC Sports Bet analyst Drew Dinsick, NFL analyst Sam Monson, and former NFL player Mike Pritchard.

Meanwhile, the Westgate SuperContest is also experiencing strong participation. John Murray, vice president of race and sports at Westgate, reported that the $1,500 entry SuperContest, which requires five weekly NFL picks against the spread, has received 171 entries compared to 201 on the same date last year. Despite the increased entry fee, the prize pool has risen to $256,500, indicating healthy growth. Murray noted, “A bigger prize pool and less competition are very good news for a patron trying to decide which contest to join this season.”

The inaugural $500 entry SuperContest College, which allows seven weekly college football picks against the spread, currently has 212 entries. Murray anticipates that this figure will reach approximately 1,400 as the season progresses.

SuperContest weekend is scheduled for August 15 and 16, featuring two SuperContest entries and four SuperContest College entries to be given away. This event will also include a four-man scramble golf tournament on August 16 at Las Vegas Country Club, with an entry fee of $120. This fee covers participation in a slot tournament and includes raffle tickets for prize giveaways, with a cap of 80 participants. Interested individuals can call 1-888-457-3307 to enter.

As the NFL season approaches, the buzz surrounding these contests reflects not only the excitement of sports betting but also the potential for substantial financial rewards for participants.