2015 SuperContest open!
July 1, 2015
The World’s Ultimate Pro Football Handicapping Contest otherwise known as “The SuperContest” returns this fall and another big turnout is expected.
The contest is held within the SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino in Nevada and entries for the 2015 SuperContest will be accepted as early as Wednesday, July 1, 2105.
Jay Kornegay, Vice President of Race & Sports at the Westgate SuperBook, is excited for the upcoming season and expects more growth in the contest again and is hoping to produce more record numbers.
He said, “We’ve showed great growth the past few seasons and I think this year’s field will fall between 1,700 and 1,800 entries but a key number would be 1,905 entries, which means the first-place winner would walk away with $1 million dollars.”
Entering the contest is fairly simple. Individuals must be at least 21-years-old and pay an entry fee of $1,500 to be deemed eligible. Prize money is based on the total number of entries and in the past, the top 30 individuals would cash.
However, according to Kornegay that number is going to increase this season.
“Due to the increasing number of entries, we’ve decided that the Top 50 entries will win cash prizes with the top overall winner still taking home 35% of the purse,” Kornegay said.
Each week, contestants must select five pro football games against the spread each week. The contest spread comes out on Wednesday and those numbers do not change during the week, regardless of injuries, suspensions, etc.
Weekly selections must be made each week by 11:00 a.m. PT on Saturday or earlier if you plan on using the Thursday night game as one of your five selections.
All selections must be made by the individual who owns the entry or a proxy, which has become a big component for increasing the size of the SuperContest and something Kornegay wishes more people outside of Las Vegas are aware of.
Kornegay said, “One of the biggest challenges for us is letting people know that you don’t need to live in Las Vegas to participate in this contest. You need to come one time to sign up and then can have a proxy submit your picks over the 17-week contest.”
“The GamblinoApp and its corresponding contests gave the SuperContest more buzz in the football offseason over the last few months and we’re happy that three individuals received free entries to this year’s event.”
The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook is giving away six more $1,500 entries in August at their SuperContest Weekend, which begins Friday Aug. 28 and concludes Saturday Aug. 29.
One entry will be given away on Friday night at the Handicapping Seminar while another will be given away at the golf event on Saturday afternoon. The final four will be raffled off in Saturday’s reception at the Westgate Resort.
Raffle tickets are given to all individuals who attend and extra raffle tickets can be earned this summer at the SuperBook when placing wagers on football futures, baseball parlays and pari-mutuel betting as well.
The final deadline for admittance into the SuperContest is Saturday Sept. 12 at 11:00 a.m. PT but those who sign up before Sept. 7 (Labor Day) will also be eligible for the mini-contest at the end of the season which rewards $15,000 to the top entry who selects the most winners over the final three weeks of the regular season.
This season, entries will be able to enter their weekly selections at a Kiosk instead of standing in line at the betting counter and filling out a card similar to the parlay format. Each entry will be given a SuperContest players card and all you have to do is swipe the card, confirm access with a pin and enter your selections where you’ll be given a printed confirmation.
The Kiosk setup is one small addition to the many new renovations taking place at the SuperBook this summer. Along with a new look and feel, the Westgate is planning to have an online system in place this fall so users can wager from their mobile devices.
More information on the SuperContest can be viewed at the Westgate Las Vegas website.
Past Winners
As Kornegay mentioned above, he expects the SuperContest to grow but doubts will see a performance again like we did last season.
CH Ballers, a group of four friends from Los Angeles, set the standard as the best entry ever in the SuperContest with a record of 64-20-1 (76%) in the 2014 SuperContest.
Kornegay added, “Those guys crushed it last season and with more entries, my guess is that the winning entry for the 2015 SuperContest will have to connect on 68-69 percent of their selections. And if you’re looking to cash in the Top 50 this season, you’ll likely have to post at least 50-60 wins throughout the 17 weeks.”
Most average bettors don’t believe hitting 60 percent is that difficult but each season this contest certainly humbles all pundits.
Kelly Stewart, otherwise known as KellyinVegas, captured last year’s mini contest and $15,000 with a 14-1 record and is ready to defend her title.
“This will be my third year playing in the SuperBook contest and I’m certainly hoping that I can be in the mix for the top overall prize. If not, the mini-contest is a nice consolation and it gives entries a great incentive to win just as much as others who have performed better throughout the entire season,” said Stewart.
Kelly’s advice to new entries in the SuperContest is similar to what others preach -- avoid the 1-4 and 0-5 weeks but don't get discouraged if they happen and they do.
She did mention one tidbit to her weekly approach. She said, “Regardless of the matchup, I always stay away from the games played on Thursday because a lot can happen between then and the Saturday deadline and if you’re selecting that game, you have to enter your four other weekly selections at that time too. I’d rather use the extra 36 hours to handicap and wait for the latest injury report.”
Proxy Services
Individuals that don’t live in Las Vegas have the ability to enter the contest through proxy services, which continues to help expand the number of entries in the SuperContest.
Matty Simo, co-owner of
www.footballcontestproxy.com, has been a proxy in Las Vegas for the past 10 years and is looking forward to the 2015 contest.
“Last year, we submitted picks for nearly a third of the record field in the SuperContest (454 of 1,403 entries), and we expect that number to continue to rise this season due to the growing popularity of the contest and our ongoing mission to educate people about the possibility of using a proxy. We again did not make any mistakes for our contestants last season, and we’re proud to say that 14 of our clients’ entries placed in the Top 30 prize pool in 2014, including four individuals placing in the Top 10 for the second year in a row,” said Simo.
In 2013, Simo’s top client was David Frohardt-Lane, who captured the overall first place prize.
Another quality proxy outfit in Las Vegas that provides this service is
www.proxybet.com, who is an independent company that is focusing their efforts on customer service and attention to details.
It’s a family run business that has been successful in other ventures and believes its value is with their pricing and guarantee. Plus, they’re also offering discounts to new customers and individuals who sign up in July.
Lastly, new users that are in need of a proxy and want to rub elbows with a SuperContest winner can do so this season with the aforementioned Kelly Stewart.
