Are you ready for some football, New Jersey? Then you are in luck. DraftKings launched a new NFL pick’em contest featuring a $1 million grand prize.
And NJ sports betting fans will be getting first dibs on the newest, biggest contest being offered.
What is the DraftKings NFL Pick’em contest?
The Pro Football Pick’em National Championship is a season-long contest in which players pick five games against the spread each week.
The contest will last from Week 1 all the way through Week 16. Players choose games during 14 of those weeks, with two bye weeks of their choice.
All picks will have to be made by 10 a.m. EST on the Sunday of that particular week.
If a player gets all five of their picks right in a given week, they will get a free $100 bet on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The contest costs $1,500 to enter, with three total entries allowed.
At the time of this writing, New Jersey was the only state taking part. But DraftKings hopes to add more states before the season begins.
Cash prizes for 50 winners
The top 50 players at the end of the season will all get a cash prize, with the winner getting that coveted $1 million.
The rest of the payouts are as follows:
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 2nd Place |
$250,000 |
| 3rd Place | $125,000 |
| 4th Place | $100,000 |
| 5th Place | $75,000 |
| 6th Place | $60,000 |
| 7th Place | $50,000 |
| 8th Place | $40,000 |
| 9th Place | $30,000 |
| 10th Place | $20,000 |
| 11th-15th Place | $15,000 |
| 16th-20th Place | $10,000 |
| 21st-25th Place | $7,500 |
| 26th-35th Place | $5,000 |
| 36th-50th Place | $2,500 |
What if the 2020 NFL season is delayed or canceled?
Like the other US pro sports leagues, the NFL’s 2020 schedule has been affected by the COVID-19 global pandemic. For instance, the NFL draft was to take place back in April in Las Vegas but was switched to a virtual draft instead.
As the NFL betting season draws near to football’s official start in September, the country is still dealing with the pandemic. This makes it a possibility that the regular season could be affected as well.
In that case, DraftKings does have a contingency plan in case of any delays or changes to the season. Here’s the gist:
- If the season starts after Sept. 10, DraftKings will simply shift the contest’s start to coincide with the new start of the season.
- If the season gets canceled after Week 12, DraftKings will still honor payouts for all of the winners. If the season is canceled before Week 12, DraftKings will refund players.
- If the season is canceled between Weeks 12 and 16, the winners will be determined based on the player’s percentage of correct picks rather than total correct picks. This rule is in place because some players will have used one or both of their bye weeks by then.
How to enter the DraftKings Pro Football Pick’em National Championship
If you are looking to enter the Pro Football Pick’em National Championship, log in to DraftKings Sportsbook and click on the “Pools” tab.
If you are signing up for the first time, you will need to register and deposit funds.
If not, you simply have to opt into the contest, pay the entry fee and wait ever so patiently for the NFL season to kick off.