The Circa Survivor NFL prediction contest is over for another year – and eight entries have come away with $1.783 million each.
The marathon 20-round competition tasked contestants with picking a winning NFL team from each week of the season or face elimination. Each entrant was only allowed to use each NFL team as their pick once.
14,266 entrants entered for $1,000 each, signing up in-person at the Circa Sportsbook (pictured) in Las Vegas.
The first week of the NFL was a blowout for the competition. More than three quarters of entrants were eliminated due to a string of upset results. However, by NFL game week 18, there were a record 18 contestants remaining.
The final week went down to the wire. With three close results, and two overtime games, at one point it looked like the lone Arizona Cardinals pick might be looking at a $14 million payday.
In the end, the winners taking home the crown and $1.7 million were all group entrants. They included a team of meat packing industry workers under the name Meatball Brothers, two Harvard law graduates’ team, Dream Stakes, and a duo of Florida-based brewers playing under the name Whiskey Business.
The Competition
The annual Circa Survivor contest had its biggest year in 2024, with $14.226 million on the line and more than 14,000 entries.
Week one and two saw 10,000 entrants booted from the competition. Some 80% of entrants picked incorrectly across the two weeks, losing $1,000 at the first hurdle. About 34% of the first week losses were accounted for by the Cincinnati Bengals, who lost 16-10 at home against the New England Patriots.
Heading into the final two rounds, 18 entries had a perfect score of 18 for 18. Only two more correct picks were needed.
The Finals
As usual, with so much money on the line, many of the competitors chose to visit Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas and watch the final games with their team.
That included the Meatball Brothers, who bought plates of their company’s meats to share while at the venue. Some of the successful teams, such as Harvard pair Dream Stakes, said they’d spent days crunching data and considering their picks for each round.
The last round was a nail biter for all involved.
Five of the eight entries picked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the final matchup, and the Florida team was down 16-6 at halftime to the New Orleans Saints. However, they rallied for a 27-18 win after narrowly avoiding a last-minute touchdown from the Saints.
Two winning players also picked the Indianapolis Colts, who took it to overtime to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One of the Meatball Brothers was relegated to watching from his Circa hotel room, as he hadn’t participated as much as the rest of the group throughout the season and the crew felt he might bring bad luck. He probably wouldn’t be bitter though, as he ultimately clinched $283,000 from his six-way split of the group’s $1.7 million prize.
The winners are due to get their checks in a special ceremony at the Circa Sportsbook in Las Vegas on January 10.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
