Elaine Chosen
The latest sportsbook to hit Downtown Las Vegas comes in the shape of Circa Sports. They opened their sportsbook in the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, which is their first ever bet shop in Sin City. Owners of the casino, Greg and Derek Stevens (whose company Desert Rock Enterprises also owns The D Las Vegas Casino) are the brains behind Circa Sports. They founded the company a few years back.
To help them in their venture, they’ve hired some of the top figures of the Las Vegas gaming world. Namely, Matt Metcalf, who used to work at the Westgate Superbook, was hired as the Sportsbook director, while the vice president of the two Stevens-owned casinos assumed the same role at Circa Sports.
Derek Stevens is believed to be the one responsible for the opening of Circa Sports. Stevens firmly believes that the new era of bookmaking has started in the Entertainment Capital of the World. In his own words, Circa Sports teaming up with the Golden Gate Casino represents a joint effort on their part to bring back the Las Vegas of old. Having a sportsbook with a huge selection of bets will remind the visitors of 20th century Vegas; and according to Stevens, the best place to do such a thing is in one of the most historic hotels in Vegas — the Golden Gate.
The Golden Gate’s sportsbook will have a floor of almost 1,300 square feet, which will contain a wall covered in LED screens, displaying schedules, odds, and live games. There will also be some do-it-yourself betting kiosks.
The Stevens won’t stop here when it comes to sports betting. Their plan is to open another sportsbook in The D later this month. However, these are just the beginning steps in the grand scheme of things — Stevens’ ambition is to open up the world’s largest sportsbook.
Largest Sportsbook in the World
Since 1980, there have been no greenfield investments in Downtown Las Vegas. That is about to change, with the Stevens working on building the Circa Resort & Casino from the ground up. According to construction plans, the complex will feature gaming floors, a hotel, and other amenities, which will cover 1.25 million square feet. The Circa Sportsbook, which will be the central component, will be spread over three stories. The casino resort is planned to be finished by December 2020, when Stevens will organize the grand opening.
Although they haven’t released any details or pictures of the construction model, Derek Stevens claimed that they would carry out his vision of creating the world’s largest sportsbook. As Stevens said himself, they wanted to amaze the bettors as soon as they enter. Stevens recalls of his first time visiting the Las Vegas Hilton Superbook (now named Westgate). He says he felt like being in the greatest place on the planet and wants to replicate that feeling with Circa. A VSiN studio will overlook the sportsbook. Additionally, Stevens believes that everyone will feel the urge to walk in, make a bet, and tell their friends about the sportsbook as soon as they enter it!
Currently, the largest sportsbook in Las Vegas is the Westgate Superbook, which covers 30,000 square feet.
One-Million-Dollar Contest
On an opening day, Stevens plans to run a ‘no juice’ promotion. Additionally, they will have a year-long competition on NFL football picks — deciding before the start of the season who’s going to fare the best and win the Super Bowl!
In an interview to the press, Stevens spoke about the Circa Sports Million contest coming with a guaranteed $1 million win and a variety of ways people can win. The football contest will have a minimum prize budget of $1,5 million. I.e., $1 million will go to the winner, while $300,000 will be spread between bettors who ranked from tenth to second. They will divide the remaining $200,000 into four groups of $50,000 and reward the winners of each quarter. So people have the opportunity to win during each individual month from September to December.
To enter the competition, players will have to pay a $1,000 entry fee; but fortunately, every last dollar is going to end up in the prize pool, so that’s good to hear! Also, the sportsbook will take no commission, which means that the participants, taken as a whole, will benefit from a 100% payback.
The Director, Matt Metcalf, spoke about Stevens being the one that came up with the guaranteed payout of $1 million for the champion. Stevens got the idea from his own betting habits. According to Metcalf, Derek likes to bet big, and he finds it exciting when they give the players an opportunity to win a million dollars! This is not something you come across very often, but the Circa sportsbook will indeed be one of those places.
