Circa Rolls Out ‘Empathy Package’ for Survivor Losers

Posted on: October 3, 2022, 03:41h. 

Last updated on: October 5, 2022, 05:44h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

Four weeks of the 2022 NFL season are in the books, and it’s fair to say the trend of underdogs winning outright is great news for sportsbooks and lousy for participants in survivor pools, such as Circa Survivor. But the gaming company has a generous way of compensating now-departed contestants.

Circa Survivor
Mike Palm (left) and Derek Stevens promoting Circa’s football contests. The company is offering free rooms to Survivor losers. (Image: Circa Las Vegas)

The newest, glitziest integrated resort in downtown Las Vegas is offering eliminated survivor participants free midweek stays, known as an “empathy package,” of up to three nights at the Circa Resort & Casino, the D Las Vegas, or Golden Gate Hotel & Casino.

We know what it’s like to make a bad pick, so we’d like to show our appreciation to all Circa Survivor contestants that have been eliminated thus far. Any Circa Survivor contestant who had all of their entries eliminated within the first three weeks of the NFL season will receive a complimentary redemption package,” according to the gaming company. “This mid-week complimentary package will include a hotel stay at any of our three properties along with a day bed at Stadium Swim during your visit.”

Eliminated contestants with one or two entries are eligible for a two-night stay at one of the aforementioned downtown Las Vegas venues. Those who opted for the maximum of three entries can get a three-night visit.

Circa Could Have Lots of Visitors

Circa Survivor started the season with 6,133 entries. But that number has been slashed dramatically, and the NFL season isn’t even 25% complete.

Entering Week 4, just 1,550 entries remained. But 317 of those were eliminated Sunday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colts all lost. Losses by the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers pared 11 entries. If the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, four more survivor contestants will be gone.

In survivor contests, participants can only use a team once throughout a season. Circa adds a layer of intrigue to that scenario by guaranteeing a $1 million bonus to players who wait until the season’s final week to use last year’s Super Bowl teams — the Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals. Plenty of participants have already used both teams this year.

In fact, the 2021 Super Bowl teams are culprits in paring the Circa Survivor pool because of Week 1 losses. The Bengals lost again in Week 2 to the Dallas Cowboys, who were without starting quarterback Dak Prescott.

Shrewd Move by Stevens

Derek Stevens is the owner of Circa, Circa Sports, the D, the Golden Gate, and the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center and is the most visible gaming executive in Las Vegas.

The move to offer survivor losers an “empathy package” could prove shrewd on multiple levels. First, contestants who take the operator up on the offer are likely to spend money in those hotels on food, drinks, gaming, and perhaps, more football bets.

Second, it boosts midweek occupancy — something Las Vegas operators of all stripes have been struggling with in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Analysts expect that scenario will turn for the better in 2023, as there are plenty of meetings and conventions on the books through the first half of the year.