Roger Kisby/Bloomberg via Getty Image. Pictured: Circa Sports
Circa Sports in Las Vegas is guaranteeing $10 million in prize money between two of their NFL contests, Circa Millions III and Circa Survivor.
This makes for the largest football contest prize guarantee ever, the sportsbook said.
The Circa Survivor contest will guarantee $6 million in prizes, including $1 million for anyone who goes a perfect 20-0. Contestants pick one winner each week but cannot pick a team twice. There are 18 regular season weeks this year, and Circa will count Thanksgiving and Christmas Day games as standalone weeks making 20 total weeks to make picks.
The other $4 million in guaranteed prizes is for the Circa Millions III, the popular contest where entrants pick five teams against the spread each week.
These NFL contests have been popular in Las Vegas for years, led by the long-standing Westgate SuperContest. In an attempt to compete and make up for lost time, Circa is offering major guarantees with no rake, meaning all money entered into the contest goes straight to the prize pool.
Circa opened the strip’s largest sportsbook last fall, including Stadium Swim — a huge pool deck with enormous TVs — to compete with the rest of the businesses on the strip.
With Las Vegas opening and travel becoming safer due to the vaccine, entries into pro football contests should be on the rise. The contests require in-person registration with proxy services available for the rest of the year.
