March Madness bracket contests are one of the most exciting parts of the NCAA Tournament, and 2025 is no different! With huge prizes and no entry fees, these contests give a chance to win big without risking a dime.
So far in 2025, there's over $10 million in prizes available for the March Madness bracket!
Bookmark this page and check back often as we update it with the latest information about free-to-enter contests for March Madness 2025.
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2025 March Madness bracket contests
Details for the 2025 contests are coming in fast. We’ll keep this section updated as soon as the sportsbooks reveal their latest promotions, rules, and prize pools.
Expect even more incredible opportunities to win cash, gift cards, and other prizes without paying any entry fee at March Madness betting sites. Be sure to come back and lock in your picks once the brackets are set! You can also sign up for new sportsbook accounts and unlock March Madness promos and sign-up bonuses and then bet on March Madness odds.
| Contest | Prize | Entry Cost | Welcome Bonus | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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$100,000 | Free | N/A | N/A |
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Fan Cave experience | Free | Bet $1, Get 10 100% Boosts | COVERSBONUSDYW |
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Up to $10 Million | Free | Bet $5, Get $100 | 'COVERS' or 'CVSBONUS' (CO, NJ & PA only) |
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$100,000 | Free | Win $5 Bet, Get $200 | No code |
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$100,000 | Free | No code | |
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TBD | TBD | $500 2nd Chance Bet | COVERSBONUS |
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TBD | Free | $1,500 First Bet Encore | COVERSBONUS |
(Not available to residents of Ontario)
FanDuel Tourney Shuffle
Win $100,000
The FanDuel 2025 Tourney Shuffle’Em is a competition to predict the last four teams in the Men's College Basketball Tournament. Participants are given a virtual card with random combinations of teams and can shuffle up to 20 times to create their preferred line-up. If all four teams on the card are among the last standing, participants share $100,000 in prizes.
The contest begins on March 16, 2025, and entries must be received by the start of the first tournament on March 20. Participants should be 18+ and physically present in states/regions specified in the rules. No purchase or bet is necessary to enter. Prizes are non-transferable and can be used only for wagering on the Sportsbook Account. Odds of winning depend on the total number of participants and individual’s ability to predict correctly. The contest is not associated with any third-party sponsors but is purely a FanDuel event. Restrictions and conditions apply, such as adhesion to FanDuel's terms of service and privacy policy.
FanDuel's Bet $5, Get $200 offer
If you're new to FanDuel, you can make your first bet of at least $5 and if it wins, you get $200 bonus bets back on top of your winnings! No FanDuel promo code is needed!
Bet $5, Get $200 Bonus Bets If Your Bet Wins
bet365 Bracket Challenge 2025: Win $10M for a perfect bracket
bet365 sets the high bar for the 2025 tournament with its $10 million bracket challenge that opens on March 16! The player with the most points at the end of the contest won $100,000, but if someone picks every game correctly, they could walk away with a total of $10 million! Prizes are available for the top 5,000 brackets.
New users in 2025 can also claim $150 in bonus bets after making their first $5 bet using the bet356 bonus code COVERS.
Win up to $10 Million for the best bracket
Get $150 bonus bets with our bet365 bonus code
If you're new to bet365, you can sign up with bet365 bonus code COVERS and claim a $150 bonus with just a $5 bet on any NCAA Tournament game!
Bet $5, Get $150, Win or Lose
Code: COVERS
Code: CVSBONUS (CO, NJ & PA only)
DraftKings Zero Right Bracket Challenge
DraftKings Zero Right Bracket Contest DraftKings is hosting a March Madness Bracket Challenge for 2025 in collaboration with Pepsi® Zero Sugar, titled the Zero Right Bracket Challenge, where the goal is to pick as few correct outcomes as possible.
Entry into the competition is free, and participants must be legal U.S. residents with a valid DraftKings account to enter. Contestants should complete a bracket by trying to select the losing team for each game in the Tournament. Accumulating fewer points by choosing the wrong teams results in a higher ranking.
The contest begins on March 18, 2025, when brackets open and is valid until the first game round on March 20, 2025. Participants can revise their bracket until the start of the first game.
The winner of the contest receives a cash prize of $100,000. In addition, the first 125,000 participants who enter the contest will receive a digital code that can be redeemed for one 20oz or 28oz can of selected Pepsi Zero Sugar Products.
In case of a tie, the prize amount will be split equally among the tied contestants. The winners are responsible for any tax liabilities associated with the prize.
DraftKings Daily Fantasy welcome bonus
If you're new to DraftKings, you can can earn up to a 50% deposit match for their daily fantasy site and $150 bonus bets if you sign up to DraftKings Sportsbook. You don't even need a DraftKings promo code!
20% Deposit match up to $500
Bet $5, Get $200
Caesars' Bet The Tournament Fan Cave Frenzy Challenge
Win a VIP Fan Cave experience! Enter
Caesars Sportsbook is running a contest called Bet The Tournament Fan Cave Frenzy. This requires no purchase or bet to enter or win. Participants should opt in to register and must be over 21 and a registered Caesar's Rewards member in the U.S. The promo runs from March 1 to March 30, 2025.
Rewards can be gained by placing wagers on the Caesars Sportsbook website/app or via slots, table games, or retail sportsbook wagers on property. Notably, on-property wagers count as double points for this promotion.
Two VIP Fan Cave experiences valued at $2,500 each are up for grabs. One is awarded to the participant with the most tier credits during the promotion period while the other is awarded in a random draw for participants who have earned a minimum 1,500 tier credits during the promotion time frame.
Entrants can also mail in their entries and can have only one entry and win one prize per person.
Caesars Sportsbook welcome bonus for new users
If you're new to Caesars, you can get 10 bet boosts just for signing up and betting $1 on any market! Learn more about our Caesars Sportsbook promo code!
Bet $1, Get 10 100% Boosts
Code: COVERSBONUSDYW
Covers' $100K First Round March Tourny Challenge
This year, we're not waiting around for the Final Four to start awarding prizes. For 2025, we're doing a contest for every round of the tournament. To kick things off, our users have a shot at $100,000 if they can perfectly nail the first round of the tournament. It's no small task, but most contests demand a perfect bracket all the way through. With Covers, you only need to correctly predict the first round. Fear not, though, if no perfect score is found, the holder of the best first-round bracket gets a $500 cash prize!
You can enter this free Covers contest following Selection Sunday (March 16)!
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 2025. 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
Sportsbooks and sports media companies offer lucrative winnings for contest entries. Most prizes are awarded to the owner of the bracket who made the most correct selections, but some are on the hunt for an elusive perfect bracket.
The best free bracket challenges to enter include those from regulated sportsbooks in your region. They offer huge prizes for winners.
A variety of cash and prizes ranging from $3,500 to $100,000 in value will be awarded to contest winners. Some contests offer millions of dollars for a perfect bracket.
Residents of legal betting age in Canada and the United States can enter these contests. Make sure to read the terms and conditions before completing any entry forms.
