As the final play-in games wrap up on Wednesday, March 18, basketball fans can join the Kalshi Billion Dollar Bracket contest for a shot at the largest prize in tournament history. The Kalshi Billion Dollar Bracket offers $1 billion for a perfect bracket, and participants can use the promo code COVERS to sign up before they enter and claim their welcome bonus. Prairie View A&M faces Lehigh while Miami (Ohio) takes on SMU in today's play-in matchups, setting the stage for an exciting tournament that could make someone a billionaire.
Use Promo Code COVERS
Kalshi Billion Dollar Bracket details
The Billion Dollar Bracket contest is built around the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, where participants can build and submit their bracket directly on Kalshi’s platform.
To enter the contest, users must create an account, complete identity verification, and submit their bracket before tournament play begins. According to the contest details, entrants must be at least 18 years old, and only one bracket entry is allowed per person.
The headline prize is $1 billion for a perfect bracket, one of the largest promotions ever tied to college basketball. Even if no entrant achieves perfection — which is extremely likely — Kalshi guarantees $1 million to the best overall bracket.
The grand prize is insured by SIG Parametrics, which adds credibility to the promotion and ensures the billion-dollar payout would be covered if someone beats the astronomical odds.
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How hard is a perfect bracket?
Picking a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket is one of the toughest challenges in sports. The odds are widely estimated at roughly 1 in 120 billion if someone makes informed picks based on team strength and probabilities.
If every game were selected at random, the odds would balloon to approximately 1 in 9.2 quintillion.
That’s why the more realistic prize for most entrants is the $1 million awarded to the top-performing bracket. Still, this tournament is famous for its unpredictable upsets, which is exactly what makes bracket contests so exciting every year.
How to claim your free Kalshi Billion Dollar Bracket entry
Claiming your free entry in Kalshi's Billion Dollar Bracket contest is simple and requires no trading or real-money transactions. Follow these steps to participate:
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Visit Kalshi and create a new account.
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Complete the identity verification process.
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Navigate to the Billion Dollar Bracket contest page.
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Fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket.
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Submit your picks before the first tournament games begin on 3/19
No deposit is required to enter the bracket contest, but participants must have a verified account.
Devin Booker partners with Kalsi for $1B Bracket
Devin Booker is teaming up with Kalshi to promote its Billion Dollar Bracket contest for the 2026 NCAA Men’s Tournament, leaning on his own experience chasing perfection. He points back to his 31-0 regular season at Kentucky in 2014 as proof that getting close is possible, even if finishing the job is incredibly tough. That’s the idea behind the promo, with Kalshi offering $1 billion for a perfect bracket and $1 million guaranteed for the top score. The partnership also has a giveback angle, with $500,000 going to Booker’s Starting Five charity and another $500,000 set aside for scholarships.
Kalshi promo code details
Sign Up With Code COVERS
New users can also take advantage of Kalshi’s welcome bonus by entering the Kalshi promo code COVERS during registration.
This promotion is separate from the Billion Dollar Bracket contest, so entering the bracket does not require any deposit or trading activity.
Is Kalshi legal & where can I use the Kalshi promo code?
Kalshi operates as a federally regulated exchange overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Rather than functioning like a traditional sportsbook, the platform allows users to trade on event outcomes across a variety of markets.
Availability of the signup bonus may vary by state due to regulations, and certain states are excluded from the promotion. Users should check eligibility in their state before participating.
