Circa Survivor 2025 On Track for Record $20 Million Prize Pool

“If we can maintain this pace, it would put us just over $20 million for our prize pool" said Mike Palm.

Ziv Chen

Last Updated: August 5, 2025 2:04 PM EDT • 3 minute read

Circa Survivor 2025 On Track for Record $20 Million Prize Pool — Pictured: The Stadium Swim amphitheater pool at Circa Resort and Casino. Photo by Dawn Gilbertson / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

The Circa Survivor NFL contest is on track to surpass its previous record prize pool of $14.2 million and exceed this year's $15 million guarantee, with over a month remaining before the NFL season opener. On Sunday alone, Circa reported 4,100 entries for the $1,000-entry Circa Million VII contest.

“We’re pacing just a little over 40 percent up,” said Mike Palm, vice president of operations for Circa, D Las Vegas and Golden Gate. “If we can maintain this pace, it would put us just over $20 million for our prize pool.”

Circa expects a final push in entries similar to 2024, when the final six days saw roughly 1,000 entries and $1 million per day. Contestants in Circa Survivor must pick one straight-up NFL winner each week without a point spread.

Circa will also introduce a high-stakes version of the contest, Grandissimo. With a $100,000 buy-in and $1.5 million guaranteed to the winner, the contest already has 11 of the 15 minimum entries required.

Meanwhile, Circa Million VII matches last year's pace, which ended with 5,817 entries. The contest requires 6,000 entries to meet its $6 million prize pool guarantee and involves weekly picks against the spread, five per week.

Circa Sports awarded over $20 million last season

The momentum surrounding Circa's 2024 contests follows a significant payout earlier this year. Circa Sports awarded $20.3 million in January across its Circa Million VI and Circa Survivor contests. The largest prize, $1 million and a Circa Sports blue jacket, went to Team BP, the winner of Circa Million VI.

Contestants came to the Nevada sports betting location from across the U.S. and Canada, including California, New York, Florida, Virginia, and Ohio.

Circa Survivor paid $10 million to the final entry standing, with additional funds distributed as entry totals exceeded projections. The contest structure required one correct straight-up NFL pick per week, with no repeat selections allowed and two holiday weeks included as separate legs.

Circa Million VI featured 126 ways to win and a total prize pool of $6 million. Contestants made five picks against the spread weekly, earning one point per correct pick and half a point for pushes. Prizes extended to the top 100 finishers overall.

DraftKings faces legal scrutiny in Pennsylvania

While Circa's football contests continue gaining momentum, another of our best sports betting sites faces increased scrutiny. A federal lawsuit filed in late July in the Pennsylvania sports betting market accuses DraftKings of using deceptive advertising tactics to promote its online casino and sports betting platforms.

According to the complaint, DraftKings promos offered to match customer deposits but failed to disclose that players would need to wager tens of thousands of dollars quickly to unlock the matched funds. The suit also criticizes "no-sweat" promotions that only provide non-cashable bonus credits, which require winning wagers before any actual payout is possible.

A similar complaint filed in the New York sports betting market against DraftKings was dismissed after a judge found the company's marketing practices did not violate consumer protection laws.

Written by:
Ziv Chen

Ziv has over two decades of experience in the igaming and sports betting industry, having served in senior marketing and business development positions with both B2C and B2B companies, including Playtech and Microgaming. In 2019, Ziv decided to pursue his passion for writing and became a fulltime industry journalist, covering casino, sports, and gambling business news. He’s specialties include casino games and technology, US state gambling regulation, company performance, as well as gambling affiliates and marketing. As a Pitt graduate, Ziv is a diehard fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams, with the Steelers at the top of the list. In his free time, he enjoys reading crime fiction, biographies (mainly of sports personalities, but not only) and American history. Ziv’s Favorite quote: “We're going to pursue perfection, knowing full well we won't catch it, but we're going to relentlessly chase it," Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach.