Circa Sports breaks records with $20.3 million prize pool in NFL contests

Sports betting company Circa Sports has set a new benchmark for NFL handicapping contests, announcing a record-breaking $20.3 million prize pool for its Circa Survivor and Circa Million VI competitions this season. This marks a significant jump from the $15.2 million paid out last year.

The downtown Las Vegas sportsbook had initially guaranteed $16 million in prize money, with $10 million allocated to the Survivor contest and $6 million to the Million contest. However, overwhelming participation pushed the total prize pool to $20,266,000.

“We almost got to $6 million in the Millions but were able to cut the overlay down from last year. I consider the $183,000 overlay our gift to Circa Sports customers,” said Circa owner Derek Stevens.

The Circa Survivor contest, which challenges participants to select one NFL winner each week without using the same team twice, saw a dramatic increase in entries. This year's pool surged to 14,266 entries, generating a prize pool of $14,266,000 — a substantial rise from last season’s 9,267 entries.

The Circa Million VI contest also set a new record with 5,817 participants. Despite the strong turnout, the competition fell just short of its prize pool guarantee, creating an overlay of $183,000 — the amount Circa must add to the pool beyond entry fees. The sportsbook has paid out $4.1 million in contest overlays over the past four years, including this season’s contribution.

Stevens hailed the contests’ growth as a major win for both Las Vegas and football enthusiasts. “$14,266,000 of entries into Circa Survivor is really amazing. Great for Las Vegas and great for football fans,” he said.

In the final six days of registration, Circa Sports averaged over 1,000 sign-ups per day, translating to $1 million per day in entry fees and obliterating previous records.

Last year’s Circa Million winner, Matt Ste. Marie, took home the $1 million top prize after achieving a 69.6 percent win rate. The Million contest requires participants to pick five NFL games against the spread each week.