Inside Gaming: Chargers loss wipes out $10.3M in Circa Survivor entries

One and done.

A day after the Circa Survivor pro football contest shattered records with 25,017 entries and a $25.017 million prize pool, the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated almost one-third of the field on the first NFL Sunday of the season.

The Chargers, the NFL’s biggest Week 1 favorites by 9½ points over the Arizona Cardinals, trailed 13-7 at halftime and never led en route to a 26-14 loss. The stunning defeat knocked out 7,585 Survivor entries (30.3 percent) that paid $1,000 each to compete in the richest football handicapping contest in history.

LA’s loss also cost 28 of the 77 entries (36.4 percent) in the Circa Grandissimo high-stakes Survivor contest their $100,000 entry fees.

The eliminations in both contests totaled $10.3 million in entries, the most ever lost on a single team in a single week at Circa Sports.

Overall in Week 1, 8,032 entries, or 32.2 percent of the field, were knocked out in Survivor. The Tennessee Titans eliminated 213 entries in their 23-10 loss to the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys knocked out 81 entries in their 28-20 defeat to the New York Giants on “Sunday Night Football.” Eighteen entries failed to submit a pick.

Survivor awards its prize pool to the last person (or people) standing. Five entries finished a perfect 20-0 last season and split the $18.7 million pool for $3.74 million each. In both Survivor contests, contestants pick one NFL winner each week, with no point spread involved, but can use each team only once. The contest runs during the 18-week NFL regular season and also features two holiday weeks.

Along with Circa Million, which reached 5,790 entries and features a guaranteed $6 million prize, the three contests attracted a total of 30,884 entries and will award $38.7 million this season.

Bally’s announces partial funding for Bronx casino project

Bally’s Corp. has secured up to $560 million in new financing as the casino operator advances its newly licensed Bronx resort and continues pursuing major development plans in Las Vegas and Chicago.

The financing, led by WhiteHawk Capital Partners, consists of $400 million in term loan commitments available at closing and another $160 million in delayed-draw commitments. Bally’s said the money will primarily cover pre-construction costs for its Bronx casino project, while some proceeds may be used for general corporate purposes.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to regulatory approval and other conditions.

Bally’s Chairman Soo Kim said the financing will allow the company to advance pre-construction planning while it works to complete the remainder of the Bronx project’s capital raise. He said the added liquidity also gives Bally’s greater flexibility for other capital opportunities.

That flexibility comes as Bally’s simultaneously pursues large-scale developments in Chicago and Las Vegas. In Southern Nevada, Bally’s controls development rights surrounding the Athletics’ under-construction $2 billion ballpark on the former Tropicana site. Clark County commissioners have approved portions of the company’s phased mixed-use development, while plans for a hotel-casino remain slated for later consideration.