Circa Sports recently made news with its highly anticipated Survivor Pool guarantee, making it the biggest and most popular NFL handicapping contest in the nation among any sportsbook.
Circa Makes History
Circa Sports owner Derek Stevens teased the world via a post on X on May 2nd that he would be announcing a record-setting guarantee payoff in the Circa Survivor Contest on May 22nd. During the radio show Follow the Money, Stevens announced the 2025 Circa Survivor guarantee would be $15 million.
In other words, should the contest attract fewer contestants than would be adequate to fill the $15 million guarantee, Stevens will cover it. At $1000 per contest entry, anything less than 15,000 entries will be short the $15 million, but Circa has guaranteed that prize regardless of how many entries are received.
No Rake, All Reward
Circa takes no rake, meaning it makes no commission on the contest, with every penny going back to the prize pool. Last year, the guarantee was $10 million, but the final prize was $14.266 million, and this year the contest is likely to attract more than the 15,000 entries needed to meet the guarantee. Some speculate the prize money will be in the $20 million range due to the popularity of the contest.
“$15M is a massive guarantee for Circa Survivor, and I predict they blow past it,” said James Sullivan from Survivor Sweat. “Circa Survivor is hotter than ever, and the prize pool could reach closer to $20M when it’s all said and done!
How Does It Work?
Circa Survivor is the largest survivor pool in the world, and it is based on the NFL schedule. Each entry is allowed one NFL pick per week with no point spread involved. The team chosen must win the game in order for the entry to stay alive. The catch is that once a team is chosen, it cannot be chosen again. It is officially used up for that entry, and only those teams that have not been chosen are available.
Buzz and Growth of the Contest
According to Circa Sports Director of Operations Jeffrey Benson, the Circa Survivor is all the rage in NFL survivor pool circles.
“The buzz is palpable,” Benson said. “This survivor contest is a monster and just continues to grow. The steam and interest it has gained as the prize payout has grown has been incredible. Having the world’s largest legal football survivor contest is something we’ve always dreamt about.”
Unique Contest Rules
Unlike many survivor contests, Thanksgiving games and Christmas games are designated as separate “weeks,” which means instead of 18 selections (one for each week of the NFL season), Circa Survivor requires 20 successful selections to make it to the end of the season.
Whatever entries remain at the end of 20 weeks will be declared the winners and will split the pot. If only one entry is standing at the end, then that person is guaranteed at least $15 million this year.
Last year, the following eight entries split the $14.266 million prize: C3 Picks, DREAM STAKES, MEATBALL BROTHERS, PUMBAPACK9, TY1823, VODKA JOHNNY, WHATEVERYALLWANT, and Whiskey Business.
