It’s not the biggest football contest in Las Vegas, but it is designed to crown the season’s best all-around handicapper from a select group of professionals. Derek Stevens is again putting his money up for grabs as the Circa Friday Football Invitational returns for a fifth season.
“The show needs to go on for sure,” said Stevens, the Circa Resort & Casino owner who put his support behind the VSiN-produced contest when it was launched in 2022.
The Circa Friday Football Invitational features a field of 25 contestants who compete in a comprehensive format that includes the college football and NFL schedules and runs for 20 weeks from early September through late January.
Defending champion Chris Macero and previous champions Chris Fallica (2022), Jeff Petch (2023) and Chuck Edel (2024) headline the field under the Friday night lights. Macero, a pro bettor from San Diego, finished 76-54-2 against the spread to win last year’s contest. He took the title away from Edel, a Las Vegas pro bettor who turned in a dominant performance (79-44-3 ATS) the previous season. All champions earn a five-year exemption.
The contest’s top five finishers earn exempt status for the following year, so Scott Pritchard, Jason Jarvis, Matt Ste. Marie and Kenny White are also automatically included in the field. The contest is free to play and requires an invitation from Circa and VSiN contest management.
Stevens oversees three of the biggest pro football handicapping contests in the world with a total of $30 million guaranteed — the Circa Survivor ($20 million guaranteed), Circa Million and Circa Grandissimo — for this season. He’s also putting up the $30,000 in prize money for the Circa Friday Football Invitational: $15,000 for the winner, $8,000 for second place, $4,000 for third, $2,000 for fourth and $1,000 for fifth.
All contestants submit seven plays — college and NFL sides and totals — using the Circa Sports lines posted at 10 a.m. PT each Friday. All contestants use the same lines, and the seven plays must be submitted no later than 3 p.m. PT. The plays will be revealed on a VSiN show airing Friday nights and also will be published on VSIN.com.
One spot in the field is awarded to the winner of a VSiN subscriber promotion. Clyde Walker, a West Virginia resident and former Florida State quarterback in the mid-1970s, was the 2025 “Average Joe” contest champion with a record of 81-49-2 ATS. The “Average Joe” contest is also returning for its fourth season.
The contest begins Friday, September 11 and continues each Friday through January 22, 2027, with the Monday, January 25, 2027 college football national championship game in Las Vegas representing the final game of the contest.
Former champions
Chris Macero
Professional bettor from San Diego; 2025 Circa Friday Football Invitational champion and 2024 CFFI third-place finisher.
Chuck Edel
Professional bettor from Las Vegas; 2024 Circa Friday Football Invitational champion and 2022 CFFI runner-up.
Jeff Petch
Professional handicapper from Florida; 2023 Circa Friday Football Invitational champion; 2021 Circa Million runner-up.
Chris Fallica
Fox Sports analyst; 2022 Circa Friday Football Invitational champion, 2025 CFFI runner-up and 2024 CFFI fourth-place finisher.
Top-five finishers last year
Scott Pritchard
Professional bettor from Las Vegas; 2025 and 2023 Circa Friday Football Invitational third-place finisher.
Jason Jarvis
Professional gambler from Connecticut; 2025 Circa Friday Football Invitational fourth-place finisher; Circa Million fourth-place finisher in 2021 and 10th place in 2023.
Matt Ste. Marie
Finance manager from Minneapolis; 2025 Circa Friday Football Invitational fifth-place finisher; 2023 Circa Million champion.
Kenny White
Professional bettor and veteran oddsmaker from Las Vegas; 2025 Circa Friday Football Invitational fifth-place finisher; Stardust Invitational two-time champion.
VSIN.COM “Average Joe” contest champion
Clyde Walker
West Virginia resident and former Florida State quarterback in the mid-1970s; VSIN.com “Average Joe” contest champion with a record of 81-49-2 ATS in 2025.
Invited contestants
Frank Carulli
Professional bettor from Las Vegas, horse racing analyst and oddsmaker for Xpressbet; 2025 Circa Friday Football Invitational seventh-place finisher.
Doug Fleming
Real estate developer from Lansing, Michigan; Westgate SuperContest College contest champion in 2025 with a record of 65-31-2 ATS.
Tony Gordon
Professional bettor from California; 2021 Circa Million champion with the best ATS record (63-27) in contest history; 2023 Circa Friday Football Invitational runner-up.
Jack Lenenberg
Long-term care and life insurance adviser from Milton, Georgia, former college basketball player at Brandeis University; 2025 Circa Million seventh-place finisher.
Carl Sack
Professional bettor from Colorado and co-owner of KillerSports.com; 2025 Circa Friday Football Invitational eighth-place finisher
Alex White
Las Vegas handicapper and radio host; 2024 Circa Friday Football Invitational runner-up; 2022 winner of Station Casinos Last Man Standing College Football contest.
The remaining 10 contestants will be announced soon.
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