The richest sports betting contest in history crowned four winners on Sunday.
The final week of the Circa Survivor contest, which generated a $9.2 million prize pool, witnessed the remaining participants go a perfect 20-0 in picking one straight-up winner each week that couldn’t be selected again.
It was an impressive feat that the final four survived, especially considering how difficult Week 18 can be in the NFL.
To wrap up the regular season on Sunday, LA Joneser and Circus Master both had the Las Vegas Raiders while Jax Jags and IndianaJet rode the Cincinnati Bengals to a share of more than $2.3 million each.
It's over. 4 survive to the end of @CircaSports #CircaSurvivor and split the $9,267,000 prize. ($2,316,750 apiece) https://t.co/5cHDEiBjbd
— VSiN (@VSiNLive) January 8, 2024
The final four of a contest run by Circa Sports in Las Vegas had a chop agreement in place heading into the last couple of weeks and were playing out a remaining pot that would also be split between the winners.
The contest required a $1,000 entry fee with a maximum of 10. Contestants had to navigate 18 NFL weeks as well as “bonus weeks” on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
No sweat Sunday
There wasn’t much to worry about for the final four participants. The Raiders never trailed, led by 10 at halftime, and rolled to a 27-14 victory over the Denver Broncos.
The Bengals kept the drama low as well, racing out to a 24-0 halftime lead and cruising to an easy 31-14 victory over a Cleveland Browns squad that rested players for their upcoming playoff game.
A celebration is in order! 🍾
— Circa Las Vegas (@CircaLasVegas) January 7, 2024
This #CircaSurvivor contestant, IndianaJet, won BIG with the @Bengals today! He finished 20-0, and has won AT LEAST $2,300,000! 🤑#CircaLasVegas @DerekJStevens #FootballSunday @CircaSports pic.twitter.com/StRoSfMKGZ
The only real sweat down the stretch of the contest was when a 13-person chop was proposed but never accepted, a good thing for the four that made it to the end.
Sharing the wealth
Greg Jones, who went by LA Joneser in the contest, told Covers last month how he made it this far. The commercial film production company manager accidentally picked the wrong team through his proxy during Thanksgiving week following his mother’s passing, but it ended up being a winner to keep him in the contest.
Jones, who was on hand with IndianaJet at Circa Resort & Casino to enjoy the final victory, didn’t have many sweats down the stretch. He also won’t be pocketing the full $2.3 million as he said there were several pick swaps with others and hedge bets made late in the contest to secure winnings, something other winners likely participated in as well.
