Selection Sunday has arrived, and with it comes one of America’s most beloved sporting rituals: the mad scramble to fill out an NCAA Tournament bracket. [1]The American Gaming Association estimates the average bracket entry fee is $29, with approximately $2.4 billion wagered in pools alone. Bracket pools that require an entry fee and offer cash prizes are, technically speaking, illegal in most states, including Nevada. 16 seeds, the result was always the same: the top seed won. In the official NCAA Bracket Challenge Game, only 2.18% of entries had picked UMBC to win that game.

Source: CNN March 15, 2026 09:32 UTC