Sports betting contests offer lots of exciting opportunities to earn prizes by making correct predictions on upcoming games. You can hone your betting skills and cash in on your knowledge of leagues such as the NFL, MLB and NBA. Read on to discover the best contests from the leading operators within the legal sports betting industry.

Best Betting Sites with Sports Betting Contests

These are the top sportsbooks for betting contests:

1. FanDuel – offers a variety of lucrative contests throughout the year
2. BetMGM – has offered NFL contests and March Madness bracket challenges
3. BetRivers – hosts a $500,000 same game parlay contest
4. Sports Illustrated Sportsbook – runs a popular contest called Perfect 10

Top Sportsbooks Offering the Best Sports Betting Contests

FanDuel

FanDuel has now been running its popular Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) contests for more than 12 years. The company expanded into online sports betting after a federal ban was overturned in the Supreme Court back in 2018. FanDuel has grown to become the market-leading online sportsbook in the United States, but it retains a great deal of expertise in running fun, exciting contests for sports fans.

The team has channeled that expertise into launching a wide range of free-to-enter sports contests for its sportsbook customers each year. They include the $10,000 NFL Hi-Lo contest – which offers a special $1 million perfect score prize – a $10,000 NBA Perfect Picks contest and the $20,000 Twisted College Football Picks contest. It also runs a recurring golf contest called Swing for the Green. These challenges give you lots of chances to win free bets.

If you are not yet a FanDuel Sportsbook customer, it will give you a no sweat first bet worth up to $1,000 if you click out “Claim Deal” link and create an account today. There are various additional bonuses available too, including odds boosts and a referral offer. The mobile app is easy-to-use, and it pays out very quickly, which has burnished FanDuel’s reputation as an elite, reputable online sports betting provider.

BetMGM

BetMGM is an outstanding online sportsbook that offers large bonuses, a great rewards program and some intriguing contests. Casino giant MGM Resorts International launched BetMGM as a 50/50 joint venture with a British company called Entain, which owns brands such as PartyPoker, Bwin, Ladbrokes and Coral. It runs on Entain’s in-house technology, offering an excellent sports betting experience and features such as live streaming, one game parlays and a bet editor.

This sportsbook has previously run some very impressive contests, such as the $50,000 King of the Weekend NFL promo throughout the last NFL season. It also offered $10 million to anyone that could compile the perfect March Madness bracket. We will keep readers updated with details of future contests from BetMGM. If you sign up today, you will receive a risk-free bet of up to $1,000, and it then provides weekly parlay bonuses, bet boosts and other promos.

BetRivers

BetRivers is an ambitious sports betting operator that regularly rolls out large contests, loads of profit boosts and several valuable promotions. The sportsbook uses a white-label software platform provided by Kambi, which is robust, easy-to-use and packed full of betting options. The platform includes useful features such as stats, same game parlays, early cashout and a widget for creating alternate lines. BetRivers has invested in extra features to heighten the overall experience, such as live NHL streaming, and it offers a range of odds boosts each week too. It also provides quicker payouts than rival sports betting sites.

BetRivers has invested $500,000 in a same game parlay contest for NFL fans. To take part, you need to wager $10 or more on a same game parlay with at least three legs. If it wins, you will be awarded points. Players are ranked on a weekly leaderboard, and the top 200 earn prizes each week, with a first prize of $1,000. At the end of the season, the top 1,000 players will get prizes, with $25,000 in free bets going to the overall winner. There have been similar contests during previous seasons, and it runs smaller challenges and quizzes too, which provide additional opportunities to win free bets.

Sports Illustrated Sportsbook

888 Holdings launched Sports Illustrated Sportsbook in 2021 after agreeing to a licensing deal with publisher Authentic Brands. It runs on a proprietary platform owned by 888 following its purchase of an Irish bookmaker called BetBright. The company initially launched its flagship 888 Sport brand in the US market, but it struggled to gain momentum, so it has now been replaced with SI Sportsbook.

This sportsbook offers a huge choice of welcome bonuses, and there are lots of extra promos for all customers too. SI Sportsbook also runs a contest called Perfect 10. You can make against-the-spread picks on 10 selected games each weekend. If all 10 picks are correct, you win a share of the $10,000 prize. If you are the only player that gets them all correct, the entire $10,000 is yours to keep.

What are sports betting contests?

Sports betting contests reward players for making correct predictions on upcoming games. Traditional season contests require an entry fee. You can then make picks on games and earn points each time you guess correctly. For example, you might make five ATS picks each weekend within a football contest. A leaderboard ranks the entrants, and you earn prize money for finishing near the top, with prizes awarded on a descending scale.

Sportsbooks such as FanDuel and BetRivers now offer similar contests, but they do not require an entry fee. However, rather than winning cash prizes, you earn free bets, which have a 1x rollover requirement.

Popular Sports Betting Contests

The most famous sports betting contests are run by land-based books in Las Vegas:

Circa Sports Million Contest

This year’s Circa Sports Million Pro Football Contest has guaranteed prize money of $6 million. The entry fee is $1,000. If it does not attract enough players, Circa Sports has to cover the difference itself. That is known as the overlay. Players make NFL ATS picks each week, and they earn 1 point for a correct selection and .05 points for a push. Players with the most correct picks at the end of the season take home the largest prizes, with $1 million for the winner and $500,000 for the runner-up.

Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest

The Westgate SuperContest has a similar payout structure, with cash prizes awarded on a descending scale. It also has a $1,000 entry fee, with a 100% payback, and it is divided into six three-week contests, and two nine-week contests, fitting evenly into the 18-week schedule.

Types of Sports Betting Contests

Survivor Contests

This contest requires you to pick a team to cover the spread each weekend. Any players that make an incorrect pick will fall by the wayside. The players left standing at the end of the season share the prize. FanDuel has run a survivor pool in the past, as has The RX Forum for its community members.

Betting Predictions Contests

This is the most popular type of contest in the legal sports betting industry. You just need to make a series of predictions on a single sporting event or a variety of sporting events. For example, it may be 10 over/under picks on props within an NBA game. Players are ranked in a leaderboard, and prizes go to the players with the most correct answers.

Betting Squares

You simply choose a square to take part in one of these contests. The winner is the player who has the correct final digit of each team’s score. For example, if it finishes 31-14, the player with the numbers “1” and “4”  will win.

Pick’em Contests

This is similar to a betting predictions contest. You make a series of picks, either on multiple games or on a single event, such as the Super Bowl. Some charge contest entry fees, while there are lots of free competitions for prizes. Players that make the most correct picks will win.

Hot Streak Betting

This is one of the most exciting online sports betting contests you can enter. It rewards players that embark upon the longest winning streaks, although it is more commonly found on Daily Fantasy Sports than traditional sports betting. There are often weekly contests available.

How to Sign Up for Sports Betting Tournaments

You can visit the “Free to Play” or “Promos” section at a sportsbook such as FanDuel to see details of current contests. The contest details will be clearly explained. Just opt-in if it is a free-to-enter contest, or pay a fee if it is required for contest sign-ups, and you can then follow the simple instructions. You will need to make various predictions, and you can then check the leaderboard to see how you have performed.

FAQs – Sportsbook Contests