Joining March Madness contests can make the NCAA tournament even more exciting for both college basketball junkies and casual fans. You don’t have to be an expert to take advantage of a wide range of free and real money contests that offer lucrative rewards at the best March Madness betting sites.
I selected the best real money and free March Madness 2024 contests available on the web for our readers. You can find them in this article, with explanation of how each works.
Before we start, I also recommend checking out the best March Madness bonuses and promotions available for 2024. They can definitely boost your returns if you plan on betting on the tournament!
If you prefer to enter brackets and other challenges, here are your best options.
BetUS $1 Million March Mania Contest
There are free March Madness contests offering a $1 million cash prize! BetUS’ March Mania contest is one of them, but you must do something that hasn’t been done before: fill out a perfect bracket. Even if you don’t, you can still win some cool prizes.
BetUS is giving bettors the opportunity to win $1 million for a perfect bracket with no losing picks. Every game must be picked correctly to win the $1 million.
However, even if you aren’t the first person to complete a perfect March Madness bracket, there are other chances to win cash prizes in this 2024 March Madness contest.
If no one claims the $1 million perfect bracket, $5,000 in freeplay will be awarded to the entrant with the most correct selections. Here’s an overview of the prizes.
| PLACE | PRIZE |
|---|---|
| Perfect Bracket | $1,000,000 |
| Most Correct Picks | $5,000 |
| 2nd | $250 Casino Chip |
| 3rd | $100 |
| 4th | $50 |
| 5th | $25 |
How To Enter
There’s no entry fee for this one, making it one of the top free March Madness 2024 bracket contests online with real prizes! Still, you need to be an active BetUS player to compete.
Participants can earn one bracket for every $100 deposited before March 21, 2024, at 11:59 a.m. For example, if you deposit a total of $1,000, then you’ll earn ten free brackets to fill out.
- Participants must access the BetUS contests page to enter. Forms will be available from March 17, 2024, to March 21, 2024.
- All picks are final once a bracket is submitted. Changes are not permitted.
- Along with the 64-team bracket contest, BetUS has Sweet 16 and Elite Eight March Madness contests.
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BetOnline $200,000 Bracket Madness Contest
For as little as $20, you can enter BetOnline’s $200,000 Bracket Madness contest for a shot at a $50,000 grand prize. With a guaranteed pool of $200,000 in prize money, the top 10 entries will win a minimum of $1,000. The top 1,250 participants are guaranteed at least $30 in prize money!
If more than $200,000 in entry fees are collected, then the awards will accumulate beyond the guaranteed prize pool of $200,000. The more BetOnline customers that enter the contest, the larger the March Madness contest pool grows.
Here’s what the prize pool distribution looks like.
| PLACE | PRIZE *Guaranteed |
|---|---|
| 1st | $50,000 |
| 2nd | $25,000 |
| 3rd | $10,000 |
| 4th | $5,000 |
| 5th | $4,000 |
| 6th | $3,000 |
| 7th | $2,500 |
| 8th | $1,750 |
| 9th | $1,250 |
| 10th | $1,000 |
How To Enter
Contest players can purchase up to 20 entries for this March Madness bracket challenge. Discounts are available for customers who buy more entries:
| ENTRY | FEE |
|---|---|
| 1st | $20.00 |
| 2nd & 3rd | $15.00 |
| 4th to 10th | $10.00 |
| 11th to 20th | $5.00 |
- Entries into the contest must be purchased using real cash funds. Promotional credits are not permitted.
- Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 12:15 ET, is the deadline to purchase entries.
- Registration for the contest can only be done online from the BetOnline contests page. Do not call or send an email.
BetOnline’s 2024 March Madness contest is a traditional bracket challenge. In short, participants must complete at least one NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket before the deadline.
Selections must be made for all games of the tournament, beginning with the First Round. The First Four games are excluded. Points will be awarded for each successful pick, with the first round being awarded the fewest, and the championship game the most.
- First Round – 1 point
- Second Round – 2 points
- Sweet 16 – 4 points
- Elite Eight – 8 points
- Final Four – 16 points
- Championship – 32 points
The participant with the most points will be awarded at least $50,000. Winnings are paid out in cash, with no rollover requirements.
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Capital One NCAA March Madness Men’s Bracket Challenge
The Capital One NCAA March Madness Men’s Bracket Challenge is the official March Madness contest of the NCAA. Create your own private pool and invite your friends to compete for friendly bragging rights.
The March Madness Men’s Bracket Challenge does not permit any fees to enter the contest. However, if you wish to create a private pool and set a fee, then that is entirely up to you. Keep in mind that the funds will have to be collected off the website.
Feel free to create rules, fees, and the payout structure of your own accord. Entering a pool is not required to enter the Capital One NCAA March Madness Men’s Bracket Challenge, however.
All players will be eligible for the grand prize: The top 1% will be entered into a draw to win a trip to the 2025 Final Four.
How To Enter
After formulating your March Madness betting strategy, head over to the official Capital One NCAA Bracket page.
Select the Bracket Challenge and register for an account to play. Alternatively, an Apple, Google, or Facebook account can be used to play the contest.
Selections will be locked after the NCAA Tournament begins. No changes are permitted.
How To Play
Standard March Madness bracket contest rules apply. Fill out your bracket from the First Round through to the 2024 NCAA National Championship.
If you want the computer to fill out the bracket for you, select autofill and every game will be picked using a statistical model. There is also an option for the computer to pick teams based on which team stats you feel are more important.
Remember to set a tiebreaker total for the championship game before submitting your bracket. The total will be considered in the case of tiebreakers. Points will be awarded following the structure below:
- First Round – 1 point
- Second Round – 2 points
- Sweet 16 – 4 points
- Elite Eight – 8 points
- Final Four – 16 points
- Championship – 32 points
Compete against your friends in a pool and the country with a trip to the Final Four up for grabs.
ESPN Tournament Challenge
The ESPN Tournament Challenge is one of the most unique 2024 March Madness contests. Aside from ESPN, there aren’t many bracket contests that have NCAA Women’s Tournament brackets available to enter.
In the ESPN Tournament Challenge, you have the option of filling out up to 25 brackets for the women’s tournament, men’s tournament, or both. That means 50 brackets can be played in one tournament bracket challenge!
There are up to $125,000 in prizes available to be won for each tournament. So, make sure to complete all 50 brackets for the men’s and women’s tournaments. Entrants who complete 25 brackets for each side will be automatically entered for a random draw:
- 20x$5,000 Grand Prizes
- 25x$1,000 First Prizes
How To Enter
The ESPN Tournament Challenge can be accessed through the fantasy page on ESPN. From there, you can select the men’s or women’s bracket challenge.
Note that playing the ESPN Tournament Challenge is completely free. There are no hidden charges, or a credit card required to be eligible for the cash awards.
Contestants can also register for the ESPN Tournament Challenge through their exclusive mobile app. Unlike other free March Madness contests, ESPN has its own app bracket challenge app.
How To Play
Similar to the other March Madness 2024 contests, every game in the tournaments must be selected. Failing to confirm your selections, including a national champion, and a tiebreaker total, will result in your brackets being voided.
To begin, simply click on “Create a Bracket” to gain access to the interface. Remember that picks will not be allowed until the First Round matchups are announced on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Make sure to complete all 25 brackets, one set for the men’s, and then another 25 for the women’s tournament. Regardless of how well your bracket performs, every entrant is automatically entered into the $125,000 prize pool.
BetNow $1 Million Bracket Madness
In one of the most attractive free March Madness 2024 bracket contests, BetNow is offering a $1 million bracket challenge for free! With $1 million on the line, there isn’t any reason to not consider signing up to play at BetNow.
The sportsbook does not have a minimum deposit requirement to enter its Bracket Madness contest. The only requirement is to sign up for an account at BetNow and then fill out your bracket.
The grand prize for a perfect bracket is a whopping $350,000! Even the runner-up, which doesn’t require a perfect bracket, cashes in big with a $200,000 cash prize, while third place will be awarded with $100,000. No rollover is required to withdraw your prize.
| PLACE | PRIZE |
|---|---|
| 1st *Perfect Bracket | $350,000 |
| 2nd | $200,000 |
| 3rd | $100,000 |
| 4th | $50,000 |
| 5th-30th | $12,000 |
How To Enter
The only thing required to enter the BetNow $1 Million Bracket Madness contest is an account. After registering, please access the contests page for more information.
On the contests page, there will be details on where to enter your March Madness submission. Only one entry per household is allowed, with no additional brackets permitted.
Please register with a valid email address. Winners will be notified by email within 48 hours. If BetNow receives no response, the customer’s bracket will be disqualified from the contest.
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Preparing for March Madness Contests
The best part about all these March Madness contests is that you don’t have to join only one of them! You can try your luck at multiple brackets, increasing your chances to win a reward.
If you got that route, I strongly recommend submitting different brackets instead of doing the same every time. Also, you should monitor the latest March Madness 2024 betting odds and predictions before making your bracket picks. Good luck!
