Matt Ste. Marie from Minnesota (center) won the 2023 Circa Million pro football contest and top … [+]
The Circa Sports Million pro football contest kicks off with the start of the 2024 NFL regular season Thursday, Sept. 5 with an AFC Championship Game rematch between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs (-3). The Circa Million is in its 6th year and has grown to become the biggest pro football handicapping contest in the United States with a first place prize and payout of $1 million to the winner.
Football fans and bettors are scouring the betting menu and odds while preparing for the pro football season and most watched and wagered sport covering the NFL. Football contests add to the engagement and excitement of the NFL season while also providing contestants an opportunity to cash in big with full season and quarterly payouts.
The Circa Million pro football contest has grown from $1,875 entries in 2019 to 3,148, 4087, 4,691 and 5,274 entries in 2023 when Matt Ste. Marie of suburban Minneapolis won the contest and $1 million top prize after posting a record of 62-27-1 (69.6%) ATS.
“I have a passion for this,” Ste. Marie told me this past last week.
Circa Sports Million Contest Features
The Circa Million VI has a $1,000 entry and 5-entries per person maximum. Contestants make 5 NFL picks against the spread (ATS) each week during the regular.
“The Circa Million has so many ways to win,” Circa CEO and contest originator Derek Stevens told me this past week.
Circa Million VI Contest Details
(and page to follow contestants picks)
- The only big contest with an overlay featuring a $6 million guarantee prize pool and $1 million to first place plus the coveted blue jacket.
- The contest pays out the top-100 finishers, but differentiates itself by offering $300,000 per “Quarter” in prizes awarded every 4-5 weeks.
- In addition, there are $100,000 and $50,000 booby prizes for finising last and second to last place.
- Contest point spreads are posted every Thursday around 10 a.m. PST, with selections due by 4 p.m. PST Saturday.
- Circa Million VI has No Rake, and any extra fees go into the quarter and full-season prizes. Registration deadline is Sept. 7.
Anyone Can Win Regardless of Experience
While handicapping experience and sports betting knowledge helps, recent Circa Million contest winners and in the money finishers have proven that you don’t need to be a professional, sharp bettor or handicapper to compete and cash-in for these contests. Similar to the World Series of Poker, where it took amateurs to really blow up, Circa Million has had winners from all sports enthusiast levels, knowledge and backgrounds.
Circa Million V winner Matt Ste. Marie had just one entry in the contest last year. He said he’s been big into Daily Fantasy Sports for more than 10 years, but that he’s “not a big sports bettor” and rarely bets on sports, which is not yet legalized in Minnesota.
Ste. Mari has a finance background and used his analytics approach to research NFL teams, odds, injuries and more 2-3 hours a night to formulate his picks. In discussing his strategies with me, Matt had a more comprehensive approach as his work includes analystics, numbers and data sets.
“I developed my own power ratings, and watched YouTube videos of professional bettors and listened to football betting podcasts,” he said. “I’d do my research and review injuries, performances and betting lines. I would then do matchup based adjustments and add advanced data metrics to compare and contrast my information to various online sources.”
While Matt’s approach is more comprehensive than most, he offered some simple suggestions to average football fans or anyone interested in entering a contest, which he won on his first-ever try last NFL season in the Circa Million V.
“There is so much information available on free sites,” he said. “Anyone can be successful if they have a deep interest, and you don’t have to be a professional handicapper to win or enjoy the experience.”
Matt Ste. Marie plans to have 2-3 entries in both the Circa Million VI and Circa Survivor contests this year. Those two pro football contests have a combined $16 million prize pool. He’ll utilize Winners Circle Proxy service again hoping to cash in. One quick trip to Las Vegas before the NFL season starts is all you need to enter the biggest and best football contests. After that, you can play the Circa Million VI online from anywhere, hassle-free.
“It was great to meet Matt and his wife when they collected the Million dollar check from Derek Stevens,” said Bryan Bartman, CEO, Winners Circle Proxy Service.
A four-team group from Detroit won the Circa Million IV 2022 contest with a 59-26-5 (69.4%) ATS record to capture the $1 million top prize. They stormed home with a 19-4-2 record to claim another $105,000 in quarterly prize money, which also pays the top-5 places with the best record in the quarterly standings.
Circa owner and Circa Million contest originator Derek Stevens (center) contratulates the 4-team … [+]
Ultimate Contest Weekend
Circa Sports and Circa Resort & Casino is downtown Las Vegas about 5 miles North on Las Vegas Blvd. from the center of the Las Vegas Strip. Circa Resort features the biggest sportsbook in the world. This week from Aug. 22-24, Circa Resort will host the Ultimate Contest Weekend for football fanatics.
The Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN) has a studio at Circa Resort, and will be part of Radio Row coverage at Circa Resort and Stadium Swim. Circa executives Derek Stevens, Mike Palm and Circa team members roll out the red carpet for contestents, media members and personalities, and fans to enjoy the Circa Resort, Sportsbook and Stadium Swim experience while hearing insiders and analysts discuss the upcoming football season and contests.
“Stadium Swim and the Detroit Ballroom are both sold out,” Stevens said on VSiN’s Follow the Money (16:00 minute mark) about Ultimate Contest Weekend at Circa Resort . “It’s bonkers,” he added while noting Circa’s Limo fleet manager has said it’s an all-time record number of pickups for both people and groups flying into the airport.
“It’s mostly because of the football contests, but other big sports and casino gamblers and additional guests are arriving who also hold their fantasy football drafts here.”
Every year, the Circa Sports pro football contests continue to be the most exciting weeks for sports betting enthusiasts. Circa Million adds to the growing interest in football with week-to-week action as sports betting continues to flourish along with the growth of football contests.
“It’s amazing to see what Derek Stevens and the Circa team has done year over year,” VSiN radio co-host Mike Somich added.
You can bet on it.