I was surprised to read some people wanted the prize money spread out more. I think it should be the opposite. When contests get thinned out like that its like a participation award for youth soccer leagues.
1st- 80%
2nd - 20%
3rd - you get your entry fee back
Bam! Now thats a contest
that would be a guaranteed way to shrink the field IMO.....would be a contest with very few people over time....paying top 50 is less than 3% of folks cashing if they get to 1700. it is hard to see how that could be too high and/or discourage people from joining. to grow it (and the pot for the winner) you need more folks to join who arent heavy sports bettors and while most non-serious bettors may be able to convince themselves that they have a shot at top 30 or 50 you would lose a ton of entries with a top 2 or 3 concept