After over 20 years of jumping from venue to venue around Las Vegas, the Fantasy Football World Championships has found a new home at Circa Resort & Casino.
In its first year of a five-year contract at the downtown Las Vegas resort, thousands of fantasy football players from across the country pilgrimage to Circa to draft not just one, but multiple teams. Buy-ins to Circa's leagues range from $350 to $10,000 with millions of dollars collectively in prizes given away each year.
The world champion wins $150,000 and is even given a championship belt.
"The past two weekends, in particular, there have been almost every moment of the day there's been somebody drafting out at Stadium Swim," Circa Media Relations and Marketing Manager Aaron Oster said. "It's a very popular thing and a lot of people are enjoying it."
From the beginning of August to Week 1 of the NFL season, Circa is packed with fantasy fans from near and far, huddled up in hotel rooms, hospitality suites and poolside cabanas at Stadium Swim putting together their teams.
There's a full spread of drinks and food and even Circa employees putting up picks on a physical draft board.
Circa FullTime Fantasy Sports owner Ian Ritchie, who has been running the league since 2002, said that the resort has gone above and beyond to make the fantasy football experience something special.
"Our experience at Circa couldn't be more different than any other property we've dealt with doing these contests," Ritchie said. "They bend over backward to make our players feel comfortable and treat everybody special to give them a Las Vegas experience."
"If you come here once or twice a year and get a true Las Vegas and VIP experience, you never forget that you want to come back."
Alongside multiple drafts being conducted, various celebrities have shown up to Circa for the world championships including singer Darius Rucker, former MLB player Jayson Werth, NASCAR driver Austin Dillon and more. Mark Wahlberg's Flecha Azul Tequila has also sponsored one of the fantasy football events.
Circa has also prioritized the fantasy experience to where fantasy players can reserve seating at the sportsbook or Stadium Swim. It's a game-changing motion by the resort as it takes away the stress fantasy players have of trying to find a seat while setting up their lineups that day.
"It's really difficult to be a sports fan in Las Vegas cause it's hard to get seats at sportsbooks. Our players are setting up their lineups and a lot of our players have multiple teams," Ritchie said. "To work with Circa and Stadium Swim, where they give us reserved seats at the sportsbook and at Stadium Swim is unbelievable. That's one of the biggest things they remember of how they're treated by Circa on gamedays."
Fantasy football has grown rapidly over the years and Vegas has quickly invested. Ritchie said that the world championships used to be "shoved in the back away from the casino floor" when they'd come to town. Now, Circa has turned fantasy football into just as much of a priority as sports betting.
"Being partnered here at Circa helps elevate that experience (fantasy football) and puts us in the middle of the casino," Ritchie said. "What's that done for fantasy and live events is it's helped it absolutely explode."