The Top 7 Sports Betting Contests

Sports betting contests have come a long way from their humble beginnings back in 1978 when Julius “Sonny” Reizner introduced the very first high-stakes football betting contest. Since then, sports betting contests have grown in popularity and in prize money.

Let’s look at some of the biggest and best football contests that are open to bettors today.

1. SBD Play – Free to Enter, $500 Weekly Prize

SBD Play offers a weekly $500 prize despite being completely free to enter. The free-play betting site offers a wide selection of traditional sportsbook odds, and you wager virtual currency to build up your bankroll throughout the week.

The player whose selections earn them the most play money profit wins the weekly $500 cash prize. SBD Play is a great way to hone in your betting skills and compete for real cash without risking any of your own money.

Enter the Weekly Betting Contest

2. Westgate Casino – SuperContest

Possibly the most well-known of all is the Westgate SuperContest. The ultimate pro-football handicapping challenge, the SuperContest costs a whopping $1500 entry fee, and offers a prize pot of up to $1 million!

The participant with the most points over the course of the whole NFL season is crowned the winner and walks away with big bucks.

If a million dollars isn’t enough for you – and you happen to have $5000 lying around – why not enter Westgate’s other sports betting contest instead? The SuperContest Gold is a ‘winner-takes-all’ deal. Contestants select five NFL games each week, and the person with the most points at the end of the season walks away with 100% of the entry fees.

3. Golden Nugget – The Ultimate Football Challenge

Golden Nugget’s sports betting contest covers every football game on the board, including both college football and NFL games. The Ultimate Football Challenge invites contestants to make seven selections each week, which is a total of 119 selections over 17 weeks.

Participants pay an entry fee of $1,000 (which is a little lower than the Westgate contest) and offers a maximum of two entries per person. The best thing about The Ultimate Football Challenge is that the top 20 finishers get cash prizes, giving you even more chances to walk away with some serious cash.

4. Pick the Pros Football Contest

One of the longest-running sports contests, Pick the Pros Football Contest can be played at multiple venues throughout Nevada. The participating sportsbooks are all part of the B Connected Gaming Group, meaning if you are a B Connected Card Member, you can enter the Pick the Pro Football Contest for free.

Pick the Pros is a weekly contest, meaning that bettors have plenty of winning opportunities and don’t have to wait for the start of a new season to enter a new contest. The sweet pot of $500,000 awarded each week isn’t too shabby either.

5. William Hill – Pro Pick ‘Em

William Hill operates two football contests, which are available to play at their sportsbooks in The Plaza, the D Las Vegas, and Tuscany Suites. You have the choice of Pro Pick’em and the College Pick ‘em.

What makes the Pro Pick ‘em Football Contest so popular? It might be the low entry fee of $25, or it could also be the 15 entries that bettors are allowed to wager on. Combined with the $300,000 in cash prizes, that absolutely makes for a fun contest!

Each week throughout the NFL regular season, contestants have to pick the winners of all Sunday and Monday games. There’s a $10,000 cash prize each week for the contestant with the most winners. At the end of the season, if you’ve picked the most winners, you’ll collect a $20,000 cash prize. Finish with 200 season wins or more? That’s a $100,000 cash bonus.

6. William Hill, College Pick ‘Em

Possibly Nevada’s best college football handicapping contest, the William Hill College Pick’em Football Contest can be entered for a fee of $500, and each wagerer can join up to four times.

From a menu of 25 pre-selected games, players choose seven college football games against the spread for a chance of winning the $75,000 Season Grand Prize. Plus, if you win the Grand Prize by picking 49 winners or more, you’ll also receive an automatic $25,000 cash bonus.

The College Pick ‘Em Contest lasts for ten weeks, and while there are no weekly prizes, there are ten end-of-season prizes and a bonus prize if you choose winners 70% of the time.

7. Stations Casino, The Great Giveaway

At first glance, the Stations Casino football contest looks like many others. It concentrates on the NFL and has a low entry fee of $25. It’s the prize pot, however, that puts this baby on serious sports bettors’ maps. With crazy cash prizes, cars, and even homes up for grabs, it’s hard to ignore The Great Giveaway Football Contest. 

The contest also includes a “no lose” guarantee, meaning that if you play all 17 weeks of the game, you’ll get your entry fee back in the form of free slot play (up to $70) at the end of the season.

On a bad streak? That’s okay! At the Great Giveaway Football Contest, it pays to lose. The contestant who picks the most losers wins a house. The second-place loser gets $12,500, and the person in third place wins $7,500.

Go Beyond Football with Exotic Bets

Sports betting contests tend to concentrate on football, but if you are looking for something more exotic to get your betting teeth into, then why not check out these niche sports. A smaller market can sometimes throw up some great betting and winning opportunities!