NBA star Devin Booker has partnered with prediction market platform Kalshi on its billion-dollar bracket, a contest tied to the 2026 men's national collegiate basketball tournament. The campaign also includes a charitable element, with $1 million earmarked for the nonprofit organization iMentor and Booker's Starting Five foundation.
Enter the Kalshi $1 billion bracket challenge, which is limited to one entry per user. No deposit is required. Brackets can be created either on the app or on the web.
$1 billion @kalshi pic.twitter.com/iMEeFnimgb
— Book (@DevinBook) March 16, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Devin Booker has partnered with Kalshi to promote a bracket contest with a $1 billion prize for a perfect entry.
- Kalshi will award $1 million to the top scorer if no entrant predicts every game correctly.
- The partnership also includes a $1 million charitable donation split between iMentor and Booker's Starting Five foundation.
The promotion, available to users of at least 18 years of age, offers a $1 billion grand prize to any entrant who correctly picks every game winner in the bracket. Kalshi also set a $1-million prize for the highest-scoring bracket if no one submits a perfect bracket.
Participation in the Kalshi bracket contest at 10 million entries, with submissions due by March 19 before first-round games begin. The contest is built around the long odds of a flawless bracket, which Booker said underlines the scale of the challenge for fans following the tournament.
The five-time NBA All-Star linked the contest to his own experience with Kentucky's 2014 team, which reached the national semifinals but did not complete a perfect season. He said that history shaped his view of how difficult it is to stay unbeaten through a full campaign and tournament run.
The charitable side of the partnership gives equal funding to iMentor, which supports college and career mentoring, and Booker's own foundation. Starting Five has previously awarded $100,000 grants to Arizona non-profits focused on youth and family support.
Kalshi is also using the promotion to highlight its event-based trading model. The company operates as a regulated exchange and has increasingly expanded into sports-related markets as prediction platforms gain visibility in the U.S.
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Tournament betting expected to hit new high
The broader betting market around this year's college basketball tournaments is also expected to reach a record level. The American Gaming Association (AGA) projected that Americans will legally wager $3.3 billion on the 2026 men's and women's tournaments.
According to the AGA, the total is up 54% over the past three years and is nearly twice the handle recorded for February's Super Bowl.
That forecast covers legal sportsbook wagering but does not include prediction market activity.
Gaming data firm H2 projected that platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket will attract about $150 million in tournament-related wagers this year.
