Contest signups lagging
Circa Sports, Westgate need entrants
Circa Sports bet big on NFL handicapping contests this season, guaranteeing $4 million in prize money.
About six weeks before the Nfl’sscheduledseasonopener, the sportsbook is staring at a potential multimillion-dollar loss.
With sign-ups for the $1,000-entry Circa Sports Million II and Circa Survivor contestsslowedtoacrawlbythe coronavirus pandemic, Circa is on the hook for a $3.86 million overlay — or the gap between the guaranteed prize pools and the actual prize pools generated by entries.
As of Monday, there were 106 entries in Million, which needs 3,000 entries to meet the $3 million guarantee, and 33 entries in Survivor, which needs 1,000 entries to meet the $1 million guarantee.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” Circa vice president of operations Mike Palm said in a video posted on Twitter.
Palm and Derek Stevens, who owns the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate, where Circa is based, announced in the video incentives for contestants to visit Las Vegas to register.
Circa will give a free room at the D Las Vegas or Golden Gate toanybodywhobuysatleast oneentryintobothcontests. And it will give a free suite upgradetoanybodywhobuysthe be played for the Supercontest to be official. Circa requires 12 weeks for the Million and eight weeks for the Survivor.
Weekend winners
A Draftkings sportsbook bettor turned $2 into $1,923.38 after hitting a seven-team parlay Sunday at 961-1 odds.
The gambler played seven underdogs on the money line. Here are the teams, with closing odds at Vegas Insider and final score: Marlins (+190, 11-6 over Phillies), Tigers (+175, 3-2 over Reds), Orioles (+180, 7-4 over Red Sox), Mariners (+235, 7-6 over Astros), Pirates (+130, 5-1 over Cardinals), Rockies (+130, 5-2 over Rangers) and Diamondbacks (+115, 4-3 over Padres).
A William Hill bettor in Nevada hit a $210,000 wager on Robert Whittaker at -140 that paid $150,000 when the former UFC champion beat Darren Till in Saturday’s main event of the UFC on ESPN 14 card in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
A BETMGM bettor won a $500 wager on Michael Thompson at 125-1 odds that paid $62,500 when the golfer won the PGA Tour’s 3M Open.
Golden slumbers
The Golden Nugget sportsbook will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday. The Golden Nugget reopened June 4, but its book has remained closed.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.