Westgate SuperContest will start to take NFL picks on mobile app

The Westgate SuperContest is going mobile.

For the first time in the history of the world’s most prestigious NFL handicapping contest, entrants will be able to submit their selections via the SuperContest mobile app beginning in the 2019 season.

“It’s all about convenience. We see that with our own betting now, as more than 50 percent of it is done on a mobile device,” Westgate sportsbook director John Murray said. “We think it makes sense to apply that to the SuperContest as well. It can capture more of the local market who don’t want to come down 17 weeks.”

Contestants or proxies still must be in Nevada to submit their plays, and every entry must register in person. But after registering, Nevada residents can submit their weekly entries on the SuperContest app, which will be separate from the Westgate sportsbook mobile app.

The SuperContest app is not yet available, but Murray said it will be ready in plenty of time before the season.

The entry fee is $1,500 for the SuperContest, and contestants pick five weekly NFL sides against the spread during the regular season. The app also will be available for the SuperContest Gold, which features a $5,000 entry fee and is a winner-take-all contest.

Eric Kahane of Irvine, California, went 59-25-1 ATS (70.2 percent) last season to win the $1.4 million first-place prize, topping a record field of 3,123 entries.

The SuperContest opened registration in March after starting July 1 in prior years and had 380 entries as of Thursday.

“We’re already at 380 before we get into June. I’m pretty pleased with that number,” Murray said.

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Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.