The start of the NFL season is right around the corner, and Borgata Casino is celebrating the return of America’s other favorite pastime by hosting a season-long $200,000 Pick the Pros promotional event.

Pick the Pros differs from the majority of promotions in that it doesn’t require high-volume play. Nor does winning rely solely on dumb luck.

Instead, the $2,000 weekly grand prize is awarded to the player who wields their sports knowledge to select the most winners among the weekend’s NFL matchups.

Pick the pros

Qualifying for the promotion is as simple as registering a verified account at either BorgataCasino.com or BorgataPoker.com.

From the Pick the Pros Online Challenge page, enter your account name and date of birth. Then, select “Make Your Daily Picks,” and get to picking.

You’ll need to choose a team from each of the weekend’s matchups, and a combined score for a specified game, the latter of which will only be used in the case of a tie. After you’re done selecting, click on “Save Picks” and tune in that weekend to watch the results unfold.

Note, that you are permitted to enter more than one set of picks. In fact, Borgata allows you to submit a new entry every day.

The winner of each weekly challenge will receive $2,000 in bonus dollars. Borgata will also host a weekly second chance drawing in which 400 lucky players will win $20 bonus dollars to be spent at Borgata’s online properties.

Given the relatively small size of the New Jersey online casino market, your chances to win at least a portion of the $200,000 prize pool stand to be fairly strong.

More good news: The wagering requirement for bonus dollars is only 1x the bonus amount.

However, do note that bonus dollars can only be spent on slots, classic slots or progressive slot games. Sorry, table game and video poker aficionados.

Additionally, players only have 7 days from the drawing to claim their bonus dollars; otherwise they become null and void. This should be encouragement enough for most players to check their accounts on a somewhat regular basis.

Borgata’s Pick the Pros will run for the duration of the NFL season, including the playoffs. During weeks 18-20 players will be tasked with answering a series of questions in addition to picking division and conference title winners.

Not just a Borgata online promotion

Those who frequent the Borgata’s brick and mortar venue in Atlantic City will be pleased to know that the casino is hosting an even bigger version of the promotion.

From now until the end of the season, The Borgata will award $20,000 in weekly cash to the player who chooses the most correct picks, and $30,000 in bonus slot dollars, spread across 1,000 entrants. Add it all up and the promotional value comes out to a cool $1 million.

As an added perk, the Borgata will award an additional $100,000 in bonus cash and slot dollars during the Super Bowl, slated to be held on February 7, 2016.

Pick the Pros kiosks will be placed at the My Borgata Center and near the Gypsy Bar for the duration of the event.

Borgata’s skill-based promotions a game changer

The Borgata is no stranger to skill-based gaming, having hosted a free-throw shooting contest in March that awarded more than $10,000 to winner Al Callejas.

But never before has a New Jersey online casino hosted a promotion of this magnitude where the outcome relied at least in part on skill. This new direction may pay dividends down the road.

Borgata is currently locked in a tight raise for market share supremacy in New Jersey.

In July, the operator ranked number one for both online casino and online poker, but only by the slimmest of margins. What’s more, the only operator to generate more than $3 million in online casino revenue during a calendar month is not the Borgata, but upstart Golden Nugget.

Yet, by offering free-to-play skill-based formats such as Pick the Pros, not only does the Borgata prove its willingness to spend money in order to attract increased foot traffic, it inspires a new subset of gamblers – sports bettors – to check out what Borgata’s online poker room and casino have to offer.

In turn, don’t be too surprised if Borgata stretches its lead come fall.