Circa Sports has made history by achieving a record-breaking $31.6 million in guaranteed prize money for its NFL handicapping competitions across three events. This amount surpassed last year’s payout of $20.2 million from its Survivor and Million contests, both attracting a $1,000 entry fee.
The 2025 series includes Survivor, Million, and the brand-new Grandissimo contest, together garnering 24,472 entries. Leading the pack was the Circa Survivor contest with 18,718 entries and an impressive $18.7 million prize pool, exceeding its $15 million guarantee and setting a record for the largest payout in a sanctioned sports betting contest. Last year’s Survivor distributed $14.3 million among eight victors.
The Circa Million contest, where participants choose five weekly NFL picks against the spread, attracted 5,685 entries, falling short of its 6,000 target. To bridge the gap, Circa contributed a $315,000 overlay to fulfill the $6 million guarantee.
The debut of the Grandissimo, a high-stakes $100,000-entry Survivor variant, saw 69 contestants entering for an overall prize pool of $6.9 million. Both Survivor formats require players to select one NFL winner each week over the span of 20 contest rounds, with each team eligible only once.
“Every year we elevate the stakes because our owner is committed to attracting participants with increased guarantees. Derek is fully invested and shows great passion, continuously engaging with both staff and customers,” shared Jeff Benson, Operations Director at Circa Sportsbook, with CasinoBeats.
Owner Derek Stevens expressed his enthusiasm on X (@DerekJStevens): “We shattered the record. This is fantastic for everyone at Circa Sports and for our beautiful Las Vegas. A huge thank you to all who participated in the Save Jeff campaign — it was effective.” Benson humorously added on X that “if we don’t reach 6,000 entries for the Millions, Derek says I might be fired.”
In the main Survivor contest, 518 entries were eliminated during Week 1, including 24 contestants who failed to submit their picks. The shocking 20-13 defeat of the New England Patriots by the Las Vegas Raiders led to 269 eliminations, while 25 contestants advanced by choosing the Raiders.
All 69 participants in Grandissimo successfully advanced past the opening week.
Westgate Reports Growth in SuperContests
While Circa captured the spotlight with its unparalleled prize pools, the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook reported increased participation across its four contests, which collectively offered $2.5 million in guarantees.
The original SuperContest, demanding five weekly NFL picks against the spread, attracted 751 entries for a total prize pool of $1.13 million. Its $5,000-entry Gold version garnered 67 participants, providing $335,000 in winner-take-all prize money.
The new $500-entry College SuperContest recorded 1,080 entries, establishing a prize pool of $540,000, while the $5,000-entry Survivor competition concluded with 111 participants and a total of $555,000 in prizes.
“The Survivor went exceptionally well. The victor receives $555,000, which is a significant amount. We anticipated that the Survivor would affect the Gold contest, but when we compare the total funds raised this year to last year, we see a notable increase. Overall, we view it as a success,” remarked John Murray, Westgate’s Vice President of Race and Sports.
Discussing the new college contest, Murray added: “We had no expectations for the College. The winner takes home $216,000. That’s a respectable sum for a collegiate contest.