Sports Gambling 101: What is the Westgate SuperContest?

Our Gambling 101 series continues with a look at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest. What is the SuperContest and how can players participate?

Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest History

Launched at the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook in 1988 by sportsbook director Art Manteris, the SuperContest was designed to help bring traffic into the Hilton. In the early days, contestants needed to pick up weekly tickets and then return later in the week to submit their picks. By doing so, management hoped players would stay for a show or gamble on other action. The SuperContest Gold was added in 2017 and the SuperContest Reboot was added in 2019.

Once played by just a small group of local Las Vegas handicappers, entries in the SuperContest grew every year from 2009 to 2019. While the entry fee ($1,500) and general rules have remained the same, the SuperContest really took flight when players were allowed to use Vegas-based proxies to submit their picks. Now players from around the world can fly into Las Vegas, prior to the start of the NFL season, to submit their entries with the help of a proxy service.

How Do Westgate SuperContests Work?

Entries for the SuperContests are accepted from mid-January until the Saturday before Week 1 of the NFL season. Players are allowed a maximum of three entries in SuperContest, at $1,500 per entry, and three entries in the SuperContest Reboot at $500 per entry. The SuperContest Gold entry fee is $5,000 and players are limited to one entry per person. All entries must be paid for in person and out-of-town players then use a proxy to submit their weekly picks.

Over each of 17 NFL regular season weeks, players are required to pick five games using the point spread on weekly cards that are issued by the Westgate every Wednesday. Local contestants and proxies can submit their picks in person or by using the SuperContest mobile app. Players receive one point for each correct pick and a half point for any selection that is graded as a push. Players with the most points at the end of season earn a share of the various prize pools.

What Are The SuperContest Prize Payouts?

Prize amounts are dependent on the number of entries in each contest. In 2019, team It Ain’t Breezy finished first overall with a 58-25-2 record and won the $1.469 million top prize in the SuperContest. Out of 3,328 total entries, the top 100 players earned a share of the $4,592,640 SuperContest prize pool. Team Walter Payton posted a 53-31-1 record to finish in first place out of 117 entries and won the $585K winner take all prize in the 2019 SuperContest Gold.

For more information, visit the Westgate SuperContest home page.

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