Circa Promises $21M in NFL Contest Payouts, Unveils $100K Per Entry Survivor

  • Circa Sports promises record $21 million for two NFL contests
  • Launches $100,000 per entry survivor game

Circa Sports is going big with the 2025 iterations of its famed NFL contests while unveiling an elite survivor game for well-heeled bettors.

Circa Survivor
Circa Sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas. The company has a new $100,000 per entry NFL survivor contest. (Image: Las Vegas Weekly)

The new Circa Grandissimo contest requires participants to shell out $100,000 with a guaranteed payout of at least $1.5 million. The elite spin on the standard Circa Survivor contest is named for the Grandissimo casino resort that never came to life — an idea conceived by gaming pioneer Jay Sarno. Known as “The First Emperor of Las Vegas,” Sarno developed Caesars Palace and Circus Circus.

A football contest with a $100,000 entry fee is unprecedented in the regulated sports betting world and obviously places some constraints on the number of viable potential entrants, but participants get much more than a chance at the $1.5 million payout.

Circa Grandissimo’s $100,000 fee includes roundtrip airfare to Las Vegas and a three-night stay in a founder’s suite at Circa Las Vegas. A limo will transport players to and from the airport and while they’re in Sin City, they’ll be treated to curated dining experiences at Andiamo Steakhouse and Barry’s Downtown Prime as well as a whiskey tasting at Circa’s Legacy Club. Participants also get a GFore jacket and a year-long subscription to VSiN.

Circa Survivor Features Record Payout

Circa Survivor, which has rapidly become one of the most popular football picks contests, has upped the ante in significant with a $15 million guaranteed payout to the last participant(s) standing — a 50% increase from last year’s total.

Last year, Circa Survivor guaranteed the winner $10 million. The 8 winners split a final prize pool of $14,266,000 after entries surpassed the guarantee,” according to the sportsbook operator.

Circa Survivor entries cost $1,000 apiece and participants are limited to 10 entries. The game has 20 legs — one for each week of the NFL season and one for the games during holiday weeks. Competitors are required to pick one team each week straight-up and cannot repeat selections over the course of the season.

Competitors that are booted from the contest during the opening week Thursday and Friday night games can buy back in, but that is the only opportunity to do so.

Cira Million Payout Hefty, Too

The seventh edition of Circa Million features a $6 million pool with $1 million guaranteed to the winner. That contest requires participants to pick five NFL games per week against the spread. Entries also cost $1,000 apiece and are capped five per participant.

Taking home the top prize isn’t easy. Last year’s winner posted a record of 60-26-4 — a stellar run against the spread and one that isn’t typical in sports betting.

In Circa Million, there’s also a fine line between the top prize and lower compensation. Last year’s winner accumulated 62 points, just two points more than the players tied for seventh in the contest. They still took home $175,000 each.

Todd Shriber
Todd Shriber Financial Reporter

Todd Shriber is a senior news reporter covering gaming financials, casino business, stocks, and mergers and acquisitions for Casino.org.

Todd got his start in financial markets as a reporter with Bloomberg News. Later, he became a trader at a Southern California-based long/short hedge fund, where he specialized in the trading sector and international ETFs leading up to and during the financial crisis. He joined Casino.org in 2019.

Currently, Todd analyzes, researches, and writes on ETFs for various web-based publications and financial services firms. Shriber has been featured and quoted in Barron's, CNBC.com, and The Wall Street Journal. His work can also be found on Benzinga, ETF Daily News, ETF Trends, MarketWatch, Fox Business, and Nasdaq.com.

He currently resides in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golf and taking his black lab to the dog park. He's also an avid sports fan and likes to wager on college football and the NBA. You can also find him at the three-card poker and roulette table, even though he knows better.

Contact Todd at todd.shriber@casino.org.

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