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Time Running Out For Free Second-Chance March Madness Bracket Challenges

Most March Madness bracket challenges close before the first games tip-off, but some sportsbooks offer second-chance bracket contests. With no entry fee, there’s no reason not to enter as many of these contests as possible.

Last Updated: Mar 24, 2023 8:27 AM ET Read Time: 3 min
A Final Four March Madness playoff bracket is displayed on the JW Marriott hotel in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

You don’t need a degree in bracketology to cash in on March Madness. It's tournament time, and we're rounding up the best free March Madness bracket contests and challenges to enter, including our very own tournament challenge. 

Free 2023 March madness bracket contests

Sportsbooks offered some big prizes this year for their bracket contests. While most contests close up before the first round tips off, make sure to watch this space for any second-chance bracket contests that become available for the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Contest Prize
Covers Covers $400K March Tourney Challenge $400K in prizes up for grabs
DraftKings DraftKings Free Tourney Bracket - Second Chance Bracket (CLOSED) $16,000 in prizes
DraftKings DraftKings Zero Right Bracket Challenge (CLOSED) $100,000 grand prize
bet365 bet365 Bracket Challenge (CLOSED) $10M grand prize, $100K guaranteed for 1st Place, $25K for 2nd Place
betmgm BetMGM Perfect Bracket Challenge (CLOSED) $10M grand prize, $100K guaranteed.
SIA Sports Interaction Free-to-Play Bracket Challenge (CLOSED) Win up to $1,000,000 (Not available in ON)
BetRivers BetRivers Squares (CLOSED) Up to $10,000.

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700 | 21+ in eligible states.

DraftKings Free Tourney Bracket - Second Chance Bracket

With all the upsets that the first two rounds of March Madness brought us in 2023, many people's brackets are good and busted. DraftKings offers users a second chance at cash prizes with their Free Second Chance Bracket contest ahead of the Sweet 16 this week. Simply fill out a new bracket for the remaining teams and rounds for a chance at cash prizes!

Second-Chance Bracket Challenge

Up to $16K in prizes!

Covers $400K March Tourney Challenge

A March madness bracket contest entry can go south very quickly if a team you pick to go far gets upset in the First Round. But with a free betting contest, one game is just one game. Use Covers' free printable March Madness bracket and enter our NCAA Tournament contests.

Cover's March Madness contest for 2023 will have $400,000 in prizes up for grabs over the course of the tournament. Make picks throughout the tournament for a shot at four $100,000 prizes. Enter our $400K March Tourney Challenge today! Full rules and terms and conditions are coming soon on our Free Daily Contests page.

Covers $400K Challenge

Streak Survivor

Another free contest worth playing is Streak Survivor. Put together a streak of correct bets to win — including the top prize of $100,000.

King of Covers

You can also enter our 2023 NCAA Basketball Playoffs King of Covers contest with more than $2,500 in cash and prizes available. Enter for free and make picks for a chance to win.

King of Covers NCAAB Playoffs

DraftKings Zero Right Bracket Challenge

Bust your bracket for $100K

Tired of getting your bracket busted? Bust it yourself for a chance at $100,000! This year DraftKings Sportsbook is taking a different approach to its annual March Madness challenge.

This year the goal is to get all your picks wrong! Complete the entire bracket over at DraftKings before the tournament starts. If you make a correct pick, you earn a point against yourself. At the end of the tournament, whoever has a ZERO for their point total at the end of the tournament or the lowest point total wins $100,000.

Head on over to DraftKings Sportsbook for the full terms and conditions.

Zero Right Bracket Challenge

Bust your bracket for $100,000

bet365 Bracket Challenge 2023

You could win up to $10 million

Bracket contests are back, and bet365 is setting the bar high for the 2023 tournament with its $10 bracket challenge.

If you have a bet365 account, you can sign up for the contest before Thursday, March 16, 2023, when the tournament is set to tip-off. From there, you simply predict the result of each March Madness game to earn points.

  • Round 1 picks: 10 points
  • Round 2 picks: 20 points
  • Round 3 picks: 40 points
  • Quarter-final picks: 80 points
  • Semi-final picks: 160 points
  • Final picks: 320 points

The player with the most points at the end of the contest wins $100,000, but if anyone actually manages to pick every game correctly, they will walk away with $10 million!

Place Prize money
Perfect bracket (all matchup picks correct) $10,000,000
Winner $100,000
2nd place $25,000
3rd place $10,000
4th place $5,000
5th place $1,000
6th-20th place $500
21st-50th place $300
51st-100th place $200
101st-500th place $100
501st-1,000th place $50
1001st-1500th place $25
1501st-2500th place $5

See the full terms and conditions for the bet365 Bracket challenge and enter today!

Bracket Challenge game is available to new and eligible users. Customers must be aged over 21 and verified for identity by bet365. Only one entry is permitted per person.

 
Bet365 Logo

$10 million Bracket Challenge

Earn Points By Making Picks!

BetMGM Perfect Bracket Challenge

Get $10 Million for the perfect bracket

BetMGM is back for 2023 with their $10 Million Perfect Bracket Challenge. If you can fill out and submit a perfect March Madness bracket before the tournament starts on March 16, you will get a $10,000,000 grand prize! Picking the perfect bracket is a tricky proposition to say the least, so BetMGM is sweetening the pot with $100,000 guaranteed prize for the entrant with the most points earned for correct picks. Make sure to carefully fill out your bracket before March 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Use our expert bracket predictions page to sharpen your picks as you make an attempt at a perfect bracket.

  • First Round: 1 point for correct picks
  • Second Round: 2 points for correct picks
  • Third Round: 4 points for correct picks
  • Fourth Round: 8 points for correct picks
  • Semi-Finals: 16 points for correct picks
  • Championship: 32 points for correct picks

Only one entrant is allowed per customer. Head over to BetMGM for full terms and conditiions.

BetMGM offered up $10 million for a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket. Bettors can sign-up for an account and enter the contest for free.  Entrants had to make picks before the tipoff of the tournament's first game in 2022 (not including the First Four), then submit their finalized brackets for the chance to walk away with the $10 million grand prize. Naturally, a perfect bracket didn't happen as the odds are astronomical, so to soften the blow of a busted bracket, BetMGM still guaranteed a $100,000 prize to the top contestant last year.

$10 million Perfect Bracket Challenge
Make Picks, Earn Points

Sports Interaction Free-to-Play Bracket Challenge

Canadian sportsbook Sports Interaction has $1 million to give away for a perfect bracket in 2023 and $10,000 in bet credits guaranteed for the top finishers. Submit your bracket by March 16, and you'll earn points for every correct selection you make. Head on over to Sports Interaction for the full terms and conditions.

Not available to residents of Ontario.

Free-to-Play Bracket Challenge

$1M for a Perfect Bracket

March Madness betting contests

BetRivers Squares

While it's not a bracket challenge, BetRivers returns its popular Squares betting contest for March Madness. You can earn a square with two numbers when you bet $20 on a game with a "Squares" icon. If your numbers match the last digits of the final score of select games, you could win up to $10,000!

Squares

Bet $20 to Earn a Square

Instant replay: Best March Madness bracket contests

Follow the action on Covers to gain insight into which teams are poised to make a tourney run and find out who could play the role of Cinderella in 2022. In the end, most contest entries are built on picking a handful of favorites, gut feelings, and sheer luck. Keep these factors in mind:

  • Research the top seeds from each conference and look at head-to-head matchups and historical seeding. 
  • Complete entry forms and fill out your bracket before the tipoff of the first-round games.
  • Spread the love around multiple contest sites, much like your betting bankroll.

March Madness bracket contests FAQs

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