Las Vegas Advisor: Vegas’ Circa sees increase in football contest participation

Now in its fourth year, downtown’s Circa has established itself as the king of the Las Vegas football contests.

While almost every major contest at other casinos experienced a drop in participation this year, Circa Million IV drew 4,691 entrants and Circa Survivor had 6,133, increases over last year of 14.8% and 50.3%, respectively. Both had entry fees of $1,000.

By comparison, Westgate’s SuperContest, which dominated the contest scene prior to Circa, had 1,598 players. Station Casinos’ Last Man Standing Pro slightly outdrew Circa with 6,284 entries, but the entry fee was only $25.

Wynn’s new show: A new production show is coming to Wynn Las Vegas. Created at a reported budget of $120 million, “Awakening” will debut in the Wynn’s new Awakening Theater on Nov. 7. The theater has been redesigned to accommodate the show that’s being advertised as “the most technologically advanced on the planet.” Tickets start at $125.

Meat Loaf musical: Already performing is “Bat Out of Hell — The Musical” at Paris. The production brings to the stage Meat Loaf’s best-selling 1977 eponymous album. Tickets start at $49.

International cocktails: Polaris has opened at Red Rock. The bar features cocktails linked to major cities around the world, including London, Madrid, Dublin, Jalisco, Mexico (tequila), and even Bardstown, Ky. (bourbon). All cocktails are $14.

Question: Are there any free-to-play football contests this year?

Answer: It’s not like it used to be, but three casinos are running freebies for the NFL each week: Ellis Island, Klondike Sunset and Virgin Las Vegas. Get a club card and put your picks in at a kiosk for a free shot at prize pools of $200 to $300. You’ll be competing with lots of players, so you will have to have close to a perfect card to win, but free is free.

For more information about current Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons, and good deals, go to LasVegasAdvisor.com.