$25 Million at Stake in Week 18 of Circa NFL Contests

Heading into Week 18 of the world’s biggest NFL contests, potentially life-changing decisions await many of those still vying for nearly $25 million in prize money at Circa Sports here in Nevada. There are six entries left in the Circa Survivor pool with over $18.7 million up for grabs, while the pick-five Circa Million contest is worth $6 million guaranteed.

Both Circa football contests cost $1,000 per entry, with a max of 10 in Survivor and five in the Million. This is the seventh year for the Million and the sixth for Survivor, the brainchild of Circa owner and CEO Derek Stevens, and has continued to grow on an annual basis. In 2024, eight Survivor entries split the $14.266 prize pool for $1,783,250 apiece.

“As the season winds down, the excitement of Circa Survivor has heated up,” Stevens said. “We are down to the final six contestants for a total pot of a record-breaking $18.7 million.

“Circa Survivor is the largest legal football contest in the world, and this year’s prize could be split between the contestants who survive the final week of the season, or it could go to a single entrant.”

Each of those six remaining Survivor entries has an implied value of $3,119,666.67 based on the 18,718 entries that started in the contest.

Six Contestants Remain in Circa Survivor

Three entries were knocked out in Week 17 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost for the seventh time in eight games, falling 20-17 to the Miami Dolphins with the NFC South division title on the line.

Despite their latest loss, the Bucs can win the NFC South for a fifth consecutive time with a win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday and an Atlanta Falcons loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Four of the six entries could take Tampa Bay, although better options seem to be available.

Among other Survivor possibilities for the final week are the Minnesota Vikings, who are available for half the entries. The Vikings meet the Green Bay Packers after a dominant defensive performance in a 23-10 upset win over the Detroit Lions on Christmas Day. The Packers are locked into the NFC’s No. 7 playoff seed and expected to rest their starters.

Circa Survivor entries were required to take a team playing on Christmas to advance before this past weekend’s games, and four of the then-10 entries picked the Vikings. Five took the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas, and one was eliminated with the Washington Commanders.

The best options left appear to be the Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Tennessee Titans for Real Bro-3, and the New England Patriots against the Miami Dolphins for Dylan W-10. The Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Cleveland Browns may be appealing for two entries as well.

‘Crazy Things Happen’ in Last Week of Circa Million

In the Circa Million, Stevens has contributed $315,000 out of his own pocket to again make up the difference for the guarantee. The Million involves picking five sides against the spread each week and drew 5,685 entries to fall short of the 6,000 goal.

Contestants took advantage of a small overlay for the fourth straight year since the guarantee increased from $4 million to $6 million in 2022. The overall winner will take home $1 million – hence the name Circa Million – with the rest of the top 10 earning more than $2 million between them.

The lone leader of the Million is Coynehop-1, following an impressive 4-1 mark in Week 17 to stay one point ahead of BisonSportsCards-2. A thrilling 42-38 victory for the San Francisco 49ers against the Chicago Bears as 3.5-point home favorites on Sunday Night Football was a huge swing game for Coynehop-1, because SeansDolphins-3 was on the opposite side and could have pulled to within a half-point of the lead. Coynehop-1 has sat atop the leaderboard since overtaking Potato Kmish-1 in Week 13, but was tied after Week 16.

Now it is on to the final week, when crazy things have happened. Last year, Victory Formation-1 led eventual winner Team BP-1 by a half-point going into Week 18 and finished tied for third place after posting a 1-4 record.

The difference in prize money was $625,000.

The Most Challenging Week for Bookmakers and Bettors

NFL Week 18 is a challenge for those behind the scenes, too, with the static point spreads becoming the key.

“Week 18 is by far the hardest to set numbers for given how teams both in and out of contention handle this week, plus most of the playoff spots have already been decided,” Circa Sports Director of Operations Jeff Benson said. “What is hard for a lot of bookmakers is also hard for bettors. Handicapping motivation and how long teams play their starters is an exercise in futility.”

Circa Will ‘Continue To Push The Boundaries’ With Football Contests

As for what the future holds for the Circa football contests, the sky is the limit, according to Benson. And that might not be high enough to measure what is expected to be another record number of entrants who must first sign up at one of Circa’s Nevada-based properties in order to participate. Picks also need to be submitted in person at the sportsbook, via the app within the state, or through a proxy service.

“The higher the stakes, the more the intrigue grows,” Benson said. “Between adding a third contest (the $100,000 entry fee Grandissimo Survivor), and the exponential growth of the prize pools, intrigue has never been higher. This season has been filled with excitement and twists and turns every step of the way.

“We’ll continue to push the boundaries to make these contests as big as we can. Having a sweat at real life changing money cannot be understated. These contests continue to rise in popularity, and it is amazing to be a part of it.”