The best football contests in the world have gotten even better. Derek Stevens and the team at Circa Sports were tight-lipped about the guaranteed prize pools until an appearance on the Tuesday, May 19 edition of Follow The Money, where the big, exciting numbers were announced.
In total, the prize pools for the Circa Survivor, Circa Million VIII, and Circa Grandissimo are a combined $30 million guaranteed. This is a rake-free contest, so any entries over the respective guarantees will simply fund even more of the prize pool. Last year was the first for the Circa Grandissimo, a high-stakes Survivor contest with a $100,000 entry fee. That contest is back and even better for its sophomore season and the main Survivor contest and its predecessor has an increased guarantee as well.
Circa Survivor
The industry’s biggest, best, and most covered contest is the Circa Survivor. This year’s guaranteed prize pool is $20 million. That is an increase of $5 million from last year’s $15 million guarantee, but there wound up being a total of $18,718,000 in the prize pool because there were 18,718 entries. All of the entry fees go back into the prize pool, so we’ll see if the field gets to the $20 million guarantee or if we end up with any kind of overlay.
Last season, five entries went 20-0 and a five-way split of the pot was worth $3,743,600. Not bad for a $1,000 entry.
This year, contestants will be allowed to have up to 10 entries, unless they lose on the Week 1 Wednesday Night Game between the Seahawks and Patriots or the Week 1 Thursday Night Game in Melbourne, Australia between the Rams and 49ers. Entrants can rebuy up to 10 additional entries if they lose on one or both of those games.
The rules for a Survivor contest are incredibly simple, but the execution is extremely complex. Contestants pick one team to win outright every week, but once you use a team, you lose that team and cannot take them again.
If the 20-0 record threw you off since there are only 18 weeks in the NFL regular season, what you need to know is that the biggest wrinkles in this contest are the Thanksgiving “Week” and Christmas “Week”. For the 2026 season, the Thanksgiving “Week” consists of five games, with the Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving Day, and Black Friday games. The Christmas “Week” consists of the one Christmas Eve Thursday Night Football game and the three Christmas Day games.
The pick deadline for the Circa Survivor is 4 p.m. PT on Saturday or before the selected game. The deadline for the Thanksgiving “Week” is 4 p.m. PT on Wednesday, November 25 and the deadline for the Christmas “Week” is 4 p.m. PT on Thursday, December 24.
Circa Million
The Circa Million was the “OG” contest at the Circa Resort & Casino and it is back for its eighth season with a guaranteed prize pool of $6 million. Each entry costs $1,000 and there are a variety of prizes, including full-season and quarterly cash amounts.
The rules have changed a little bit, in that each contestant can have up to 10 entries, an amount doubled from previous seasons. The format remains the same, though, as contestants pick five NFL games against the spread from lines that are released on Thursday morning around 10 a.m. PT and do not change. Each correct pick is worth one point and a push is worth a half-point.
First place in the Circa Million is worth $1,000,000 and the “Circa blue” jacket that goes to the winner(s). There will also be $3.65 million in prizes for second through 100th place, as well as $300,000 in quarterly prizes. There is also $100,000 to the last-place finisher, and $50,000 to the second-to-last place finisher known as the “booby prize”.
Like Survivor, there is no rake, so if the contest gets more than 6,000 entries, that money will immediately go to the prize pool. If the field falls short of 6,000 entries, the $6 million is a guaranteed amount, so there will be an overlay.
The pick deadline for the Circa Million is 4 p.m. PT on Saturday or before the selected game. The deadline for the Thanksgiving “Week” is 4 p.m. PT on Wednesday, November 25 and the deadline for the Christmas “Week” is 4 p.m. PT on Thursday, December 24.
Circa Grandissimo
The inaugural season of the Circa Grandissimo had a nice field of 69 entries that put up the $100,000 entry fee. There wound up being a six-way split at the end, which came in “Week 13a”, so the Thanksgiving “Week”. The six entries that made it to that point took home $1.15 million apiece.
This year’s Grandissimo will operate the same as last year’s, with a maximum of two entries per person and similar rebuy rules apply for those who take the Week 1 Wednesday or Thursday games and lose. As mentioned, this is a high-stakes Survivor contest, so all of the same Survivor rules apply to this one, it just costs a lot more to enter. The Thanksgiving and Christmas “Weeks” are also part of this contest and it was Thanksgiving that tripped up the final six last year.
This year’s guaranteed prize pool is $4 million, a $2.5 million increase from last season. Of course, last year’s contest wound up with a $6.9 million prize pool, so we should see this one surpass 40 entries and any additional entry fees will be put into the prize pool.
We will cover all three contests extensively on our VSiN airwaves and at VSiN.com throughout the season.. You can find us on SiriusXM Channel 158, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other podcast platforms, YouTube TV (Sports+ package), our VSiN Live YouTube page, on regional sports networks and over 400 local radio stations, or through the VSiN Watch App.
How Do I Sign Up for the Circa Football Contests?
Sign-ups begin Friday, May 22 and can only be done in-person at Circa Resort & Casino or one of their other sportsbook locations – The D, Golden Gate, Silverton Casino Lodge, Tuscany Suites & Casino, or Legends Bay Casino – in the state of Nevada. If you do not live in Nevada, you are required to have a Nevada-based proxy to put in your picks or will have to travel to Nevada each week to submit them yourself.
Weekly picks can be submitted at any Circa Sports location or on the Circa Sports app, so long as you are within the borders of Nevada.
The registration deadline for the 2026 Circa Survivor, Circa Million, and Circa Grandissimo is Saturday, September 12 at 2 p.m. PT.
Those who sign up for a contest entry can also take advantage of some hotel perks from Circa Resort & Casino:
- 1-9 total entries in either contest = 50% discounted room rate at Circa for two nights
- 10+ total entries combined in either contest = complimentary two-night hotel stay at Circa in a standard room
- 20+ total entries (“Full House”) combined in both contests = complimentary two-night hotel stay at Circa in a premium suite
The nights must be used by Friday, September 11 and include two GA passes to Stadium Swim for each day of the stay.
Remember, if you live outside Nevada, you need a proxy to enter any of these Circa contests or the other football contests in Vegas. We have a close relationship with our trusted friends over at Winners Circle Proxy and encourage you to check them out for the upcoming football season.
