Circa Sports Unveils $12M in Guaranteed Purses for 2022 NFL Betting Contests

Posted on: May 18, 2022, 10:13h. 

Last updated on: May 18, 2022, 10:23h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Circa Sports is best-known in sports betting circles for its willingness to take large action from squares to sharps. For the 2022 NFL regular season, the downtown Las Vegas sportsbook is only upping the ante.

Circa Sports NFL betting survivor Las Vegas odds
Football fans pack the Circa Sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas on November 15, 2020. Circa Sports is again running its Circa Survivor and Circa Millions NFL contests for the 2022-23 regular season. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Despite Circa owner Derek Stevens admitting the book was “smoked” last year on its $6 million purse guarantee for its Circa Survivor season-long pool, the sportsbook is maintaining the $6 million assurance, plus adding a $1 million prize to the knockout tournament.

Circa Survivor is a $1,000 buy-in that challenges players to pick one straight-up winner (no point spread involved) each week. Each team can only be used once.

Circa Survivor will guarantee a $6 million payout for a second consecutive year. But for the 2022-23 season, it will additionally pony up a $1 million bonus prize for anyone who goes 20-0. To qualify for the bonus prize, players cannot use last Super Bowl’s participating teams — the champion Los Angeles Rams or Cincinnati Bengals.

We got smoked last year, but we’re coming back for more,” Stevens told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We figured this year may be a little different. There were still a lot of people that couldn’t travel last year.”

In addition to Circa Survivor, Circa Sports is again returning its season-long Circa Millions event. The fourth edition of Circa Millions remains a $1,000 buy-in, and challenges players to pick five games against the spread each week for a total of 90 picks. Circa Millions IV comes with a guaranteed $6 million purse.

Both events are being offered without rake, meaning the buy-ins will fully go into the purses. The NFL regular season kicks off Thursday, September 8, with the Buffalo Bills paying a visit to the champion Rams in Los Angeles.

Season Kickoff

Each of the Circa Sports season-long NFL betting contests are only available through the book’s Nevada operations. Though Circa Sports additionally operates in Colorado and Iowa, Circa Survivor and Circa Millions IV will run only inside Nevada.

However, that doesn’t mean bettors outside Nevada cannot participate. Circa Sports has proxy services that can facilitate weekly picks on the participant’s behalf.

The Circa Survivor contest involves 20 legs that run through the NFL’s regular 18-week schedule. The two additional legs are a result of the Survivor being played during the Thanksgiving and Christmas day matchups.

If more than one entry remains after 20 legs, the pool will be split equally among the winners.

Early Picks

During the early weeks of the Circa Survivor and Circa Millions IV, many entries will share picks, as players tend to go with the Super Bowl betting front-runners.

The Bills are the consensus favorites for Super Bowl LVII. Buffalo is around 6/1 to win the franchise’s first Vince Lombardi Trophy in team history. Other front-runners include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 7/1, and Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, and Rams at 10/1.

While most Circa Millions players will seek to pick teams to win, a small component will seek to pick losers. Circa Millions has always awarded the last-place finisher who selects teams in each of the 18 weeks a handsome prize. But the sportsbook is increasing payouts for the bottom feeders this year.

Circa Millions will pay $100,000 for dead last and $50,000 for second to last. Last year, the last-place finisher went 27-63 against the spread. Circa Millions III winner Tony Gordon went 63-27 to win last season’s $1 million first-place prize.