Warren Buffett’s $1 million March Madness bracket challenge has finally been won by an employee at one of his Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries. The anonymous winner, who works at FlightSafety International, correctly predicted 31 out of 32 games in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Buffett, a 94-year-old billionaire and Creighton basketball fan, has been running the contest since 2016.
He originally set the prize for anyone who could perfectly predict the Sweet 16. When no one claimed the jackpot, he adjusted the rules multiple times. In 2024, participants were allowed to waive the results of the eight games among the No.
1 and No. 2 seeds. Still, no one won the prize.
This year, the rules changed again.
Buffett’s bracket challenge finally won
Anyone who picked at least 30 of the 32 first-round games correctly became eligible for the $1 million.
Twelve Berkshire employees guessed 31 of the 32 first-round games correctly. The prize went to the person from that group who picked 29 games consecutively before a loss. The winner ended up picking 44 of the 45 games correctly.
The other 11 contestants who guessed 31 games correctly are each receiving $100,000. Buffett can finally give out the grand prize after nearly a decade of offering it. The odds of winning were a staggering 1 in 134 million.
The winner’s identity remains anonymous for now. Their achievement marks a historic moment in March Madness history. It showcases the incredible difficulty of predicting a near-perfect bracket in the popular tournament.
Image Credits: Photo by Vitaly Taranov on Unsplash
