Circa raises stakes again, increases NFL contest guarantee to $30M

Circa Sports is upping the ante again on its NFL handicapping contests.

The downtown Las Vegas sportsbook is increasing the record guaranteed prize money from $22.5 million last season to $30 million for its three contests — the $1,000-entry Circa Survivor and Circa Million VIII and the $100,000-entry Circa Grandissimo.

The guarantee for the wildly popular Survivor has skyrocketed from $15 million to $20 million for the last entry standing. The contest drew a record 18,718 entries last year to fly over the guarantee and generate an unprecedented prize pool of $18,718,000. Five entries finished a perfect 20-0 and won $3.74 million each.

The guarantee for the Grandissimo has shot up from $1.5 million to $4 million after the high roller version of Survivor drew 69 entries in its debut for an inaugural prize pool of $6.9 million. Six entries survived through Week 13 and took home $1.15 million apiece.

The guarantee for the Million remains $6 million after it drew 5,685 entries, resulting in a $315,000 overlay that was paid by Circa to ensure the full prize payout. Two entries tied for first place with a 60-29-1 record against the spread, with Chris Coyne (alias “Coynehop”) claiming the $1 million first-place prize on a tiebreaker (most winning weeks) over Thomas Patochek and Jeff McElmurry (“Bisonsportscards”), who won $500,000.

There is no rake, or house cut, in the contests and any entries that exceed the guarantee will increase the prize pools.

“Circa Sports was built on creating contests that are bigger, bolder and more player-friendly than anything else in the industry,” Circa Sports CEO Derek Stevens said. “This year’s $30 million guaranteed prize pool reflects the incredible momentum these contests have built over the years.

“We’re grateful for the passionate community that continues to support Circa Sports, and we’re excited to welcome both returning contestants and first-time players for what will be our most thrilling season yet.”

Survive and advance

In both Survivor contests, contestants pick one NFL winner straight up — no point spread involved — each week but can use each team only once. The contest is composed of NFL Weeks 1 through 18, plus separate weeks for Thanksgiving Eve/Day/Black Friday and Christmas Eve/Day.

The Survivor contest will need 20,000 entries to meet the guarantee and the Grandissimo will need 40. The maximum number of entries in Survivor is 10, while the limit for entries in the Grandissimo is two.

Survivor contestants can purchase up to 10 additional entries — and Grandissimo entrants can buy up to two additional entries — if they lose their original entries on either the Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots NFL season opener on Wednesday, Sept. 9, or the San Francisco 49ers-Los Angeles Rams game on Thursday, Sept. 10, in Melbourne, Australia. A Survivor entrant cannot go into the Saturday deadline with more than 10 active entries.

In the Million, contestants make five weekly picks against the spread, via the Circa Sports Nevada mobile app, in the 18-week NFL regular season. The contest needs 6,000 entries to meet the guarantee. There is a $1 million prize for first place, along with a Circa Sports blue jacket, while places two through 100 will be paid a total of $3.65 million.

There will be $1.2 million in quarterly prizes awarded. The last-place booby prize will receive $100,000, and the next-to-last-place booby prize will receive $50,000. The limit for entries in the Million has been increased this year from five to 10 per person.

Registration opens Friday and runs through Sept. 12 at Circa, the D Las Vegas, Tuscany, Silverton and Legends Bay. Bettors outside of Nevada can enter the contests and have their weekly selections made through a proxy.