The name will change to the Westgate SuperBook, powered by Caesars Sportsbook. But the SuperContests will remain the same at the iconic Las Vegas sportsbook that set the standard for the city’s high-stakes football handicapping contests.
Registration will open at the Westgate on Wednesday for its four SuperContests: the original $1,500-entry SuperContest, the $500-entry College, $5,000-entry Survivor and $5,000-entry Gold.
The SuperBook will be operated by Caesars Sportsbook under a new partnership announced in April between Caesars Entertainment and the Westgate, pending Nevada Gaming Commission approval.
“The Westgate SuperBook is one of the most recognizable sportsbook destinations in the world, and we are proud to partner with Westgate on the next chapter of its evolution,” Eric Hession, president of Caesars Digital, said when the partnership was announced.
Westgate Vice President of Race and Sports John Murray said the partnership is expected to be finalized by the end of July.
“Every conversation between the Westgate and Caesars has been very positive about building these contests and doing more and more in the coming years,” Murray said.
The rules for all four contests will remain the same as last year, when the Westgate introduced SuperContest Survivor and SuperContest College.
Survivor is a winner-take-all elimination contest in which participants much pick a winning team, with no point spreads, each week during the 18-week NFL regular season. Teams can be used only once. Contestants can have up to 10 entries each in Survivor, which drew 111 entries last season for a prize of $555,000.
College participants make seven weekly picks against the spread (no totals) for 14 weeks of the college football season. Contestants can have up to 10 entries each for the contest that starts Sept. 3 and ends Nov. 28. Last season’s inaugural contest drew 1,080 entries for a $540,000 prize pool. Former Michigan high school basketball coach Doug Fleming finished first with a 65-31-2 ATS record (67.7 percent).
“The college contests have never had the kind of momentum and following that the NFL contests have, for whatever reason. So I thought it was a pretty good number for year one,” Murray said. “I think it can really grow.”
The original SuperContest, in which contestants make five weekly NFL picks ATS, had 751 sign-ups for a prize pool of $1.1 million. Contestants can have up to 10 entries for the SuperContest, which will again feature 11 in-season contests: two nine-week, three six-week and six three-week. Henderson resident Bryan Boren, playing under the alias “Biffs Almanac,” won last season’s SuperContest with a 61-28-1 ATS mark (68.5 percent).
The Gold, in which contestants make five weekly NFL picks ATS, drew 67 entries last year for a prize of $335,000. The maximum number of entries for Gold is three. All of the entry fees in the SuperContests will be paid back to the players.
Contestants are required to register in person at the Westgate, but can enter their weekly selections via mobile app. Bettors outside of Nevada can enter the contests and have their weekly selections made through a proxy.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
