2 Pennsylvania Sportsbooks Launching $500K NFL Pick’em Contest

With legal sports betting across the country picking up steam, it was only a matter of time before more big-money contests popped up.

Two Pennsylvania sportsbooks, Sugarhouse and Rivers Casino, both owned by Rush Street Gaming, have announced a NFL pick'em contest with a guaranteed $500,000 in prizes.

The contest costs $125 to enter through Aug. 14 and $150 after. Bettors can enter up to 25 entries each for Sugarhouse and Rivers. Per Pennsylvania gaming rules, entrance into the contest and picks must be done when inside state borders. Picks lock after first game kicks off.

Every week, entrants will be asked to pick the outright winners for every Sunday game, plus the Monday Night Football game. The top picker at the end of the season will win a guaranteed $125,000 (the amount could be more if there are more than $500,000 in entries, in which case the winner would receive 25% of the total pool).

Second place at the end of the season gets $40,000, third place gets $20,000 and fourth place gets $15,000.

Sugarhouse and Rivers will also both pay out $2,500 to the person with the best record each week.

FanDuel has a pick‘em contest and a survivor contest but makes them free-to-enter as part of its fantasy section, making it possible for people to play it nationwide.

The biggest legal pick'em contest is in Las Vegas at the Westgate. An entry costs $1,500 and the winner wins more than $1 million. At the Westgate, gamblers can choose their five favorite against-the-spread picks each week. Each win is worth a point and the most points at the end of the season wins the top prize, with the top 100 contestants getting paid out.