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The revelation by Circa Sports that it will be sponsoring an NFL game this season with a record-breaking $20.3 million prize pool is creating waves in the sports betting community. Both the Circa Survivor and Circa Million VI competitions have exceeded projections, showing a notable rise over the previous year’s numbers.
At first, the downtown sportsbook in Las Vegas estimated a prize money of $16 million, of which $10 million went into the Circa Survivor competition and $6 million toward Circa Million VI. But because of the extraordinary number of participants, the total prize pool shot up to a whopping $20,266,000.
Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens expressed enthusiasm over the contests’ success, stating, “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.”
The Circa Survivor contest, which requires participants to select one NFL winner per week without repeating teams, saw a remarkable increase in entries this year. The contest attracted 14,266 participants, resulting in a prize pool of $14,266,000. This represents a significant rise from the previous season’s 9,267 entries.
Meanwhile, Circa Million VI also set a new participation record with 5,817 entries. Despite the strong turnout, the contest fell slightly short of its prize pool guarantee, leading to an overlay of $183,000. This shortfall means that Circa Sports will contribute additional funds to ensure the prize pool meets its promise. Over the past four years, the sportsbook has added $4.1 million in contest overlays, including this season’s amount.
Stevens praised the growth of the contests, highlighting their impact on both Las Vegas and NFL fans. “$14,266,000 of entries into Circa Survivor is really amazing. Great for Las Vegas and great for football fans,” he remarked.
In the final six days of registration, Circa Sports experienced a surge in sign-ups, averaging over 1,000 new entries per day. This resulted in $1 million in entry fees per day and shattered previous records.
Last season’s Circa Million winner, Matt Ste. Marie, claimed the $1 million top prize with an impressive 69.6 percent win rate. Participants in the Circa Million contest pick five NFL games against the spread each week.