Billion dollar lottery in March

Reply #44

Masone — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 06:03:29 GMT

There's a lot more skilled involved in this game than in a game like MM or PB. I bet if the same amount of people played a bracket based on a knowledge of the teams involved as the people that play the MM when it's 500m+, someone would win that billion dollars.

Reply #43

mypiemaster — Sat, 25 Jan 2014 00:10:11 GMT

This guy is a real genius, OMAHA, OMAHA. Just look at the amount of publicity this event is generating. By the time it is all said and done, he will probably garner more in free publicity, than anything he has to pay out in prizes, not that he needs the money or the publicity.

Reply #42

Stack47 — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 05:51:37 GMT

I'm trying to figure out why Buffett is the making the offer because surely he knows there will be no payoff. Maybe it's his way of saying investing in your future beats counting on lottery jackpot winnings or unbelievably picking a perfect NCAA basketball bracket.

In 2012 women's tourney all the number 1 seeds made the final four when they played and beat all the number 2 seeds in the regional finals. All anyone had to do was pick all the 1 and 2 seeds to make the elite 8 yet there was not o... [ More ]

Reply #41

psykomo — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:49:25 GMT

HMW:

UR ah winner$$$$$$$$$$$$already but please help PLEASE

red yellow black white or blue keep on help'n LP members helpuswin

Reply #40

Jon D — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:31:08 GMT

Yeah, this thing ain't gonna be won. I'd bet on that.

And the whole deal about the final four offer is just more marketing hype. Good 'ol Buffett is pretty darn sure he'll make a nice profit, and Quicken loans get some good marketing.

Like he told his business partner on the price for insuring this contest:

Dan would say it's too much, I would say it's too little, Buffett said of the premium.

And anyway, $500M is just chump change for Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway, on the off chan... [ More ]

Reply #39

Stack47 — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:24:21 GMT

I know you're being facetious, but there were what can be considered must win PB and MM drawings. With over 9.2 quintillion possibilities, the $1 billion prize looks pretty safe.

Reply #38

Stack47 — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 04:07:50 GMT

The tourney went to 67 games several years ago, but because of time they gave the players up until the start time of the first second round (field of 64) game to turn in their bracket sheets. Just to get an idea of how tough picking a perfect bracket is, out of 5.9 million brackets filled out for the ESPN bracket challenge, only 317 were still perfect after the day (16 games). Those statistics are from 2011 tourney with only three upsets on the first day. That year there were only two players th... [ More ]

Reply #37

veganlife125 — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 02:45:53 GMT

Watch it be won by another old geezer with one foot in the grave just to get our friend Shelby Mustang all riled up

Reply #36

psykomo — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 02:26:01 GMT

MSON:

Red yellow black white or blue

all over the WORLD we have the EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to WIN a GREAT PRIZE!!

$1 billion for a perfect March Madness [bracket] $$$$$$!

THINK POSITIVE cut UR ODD$$!

Thank GOD 4 Todd of D Lottery Post and warren buffet and JIMMY 2222

Reply #35

Jon D — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 01:55:05 GMT

Buffett is a very shrewd businessman, and a great role model. Yeah, I'm sure he'd make a lowball offer to start, it wouldn't be $100M from the get go. He'd make you sweat it a bit, see what it's worth to you. You don't get that rich by being a softie.

That's why I'm a little suspicious of the details and discrepancies right now. Even though it's likely a 63 game bracket that you have to predict, it would not surprise me if they clarified the rules come Mar. 3rd and say, oh, BTW you have to pi... [ More ]

Reply #34

veganlife125 — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 01:39:32 GMT

That reminds me of the movie Brewsters Millions with Richard Pryor back in the 1980's! I doubt though Warren Buffet would offer 100 million to start. He is the greatest businessman of all time and knows how to negotiate.

Id quess he would take a page from that old game show Lets Make A Deal . He would test your mettle by starting at 10 million after he met you at the final four. If you didn't budge he would go up to say 25 million. If you still held out he would let the final four teams play... [ More ]

Reply #33

Jon D — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 23:28:29 GMT

Oh, pardonnez-moi,

Attention everyone: you cannot post any factual comment without including a valid source/link for LottoMetro, mmmkay?

Actually, I think we've uncovered the root of your personality disorder and the reason for your own admitted lack of social skills: You automatically assume that everyone else is wrong and that LottoMetro is right. That is the answer to why you are so abrasive in your interactions with people. And that attitude permeates all of your posts. I think you sh... [ More ]

Reply #32

THRIFTY — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 23:08:03 GMT

$100 compounding annually at 10% for 145 years would be worth more than $100 Million.

Reply #31

LottoMetro — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 22:23:39 GMT

You didn't post a source with your original post, so why wouldn't I assume it was just a rumor? The numbers I posted came from the contest sponsor itself, so I think that is about as official as it gets. The bracket you posted is the bracket that they use. Read at the top where it says Round of 64. Notice what's missing? The First Four round that comes before it (which I mentioned). This is not a part of the official tournament, which is why the number of teams on a NCAA bracket is 4 fewer than... [ More ]

Reply #30

Jon D — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 21:27:51 GMT

Oh LottoMetro, LottoMetro,

Mr. Lottery industry insider. Tell us again, are you here being an irritating twerp in an official capacity, or are you just here doing that on your own?

So, I posted to this topic in regards to an interesting comment Buffett said about a side offer for making it to the final four, which I heard on the news and also showed you in print from LA Times. Are you still disputing that as rumor? Do you have evidence that he didn't say that? Anyway, it's just an interest... [ More ]

Reply #29

LottoMetro — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 20:45:01 GMT

Yes, that's true. Forbes misquoted the odds as 1 in 4 trillion something. They got that number from someone else who got it wrong.

I read the article you linked but nowhere does it specifically name the odds you posted. It vaguely mentions 67 games which in itself is deceptive. The NCAA tournament starts with 68 teams, but the brackets only contain 64 teams (The First Four round determines which 4 teams are eliminated; this sets the bracket for the tournament). So there are 63 official tourna... [ More ]

Reply #28

Jon D — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 19:46:18 GMT

Here you go LottoMetro, article mentioning 67 games and final four offer from major news outlet:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-buffett-basketball-bet-20140122,0,7653962.story#axzz2rFiIvXQK

Of course, reporters have been known to be wrong before. It could very well just be the standard 63 game bracket. We'll have to wait for the completed official rules, not just the preliminary short form.

Reply #27

LottoMetro — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 19:39:59 GMT

No, the bracket is the same, according to Quicken Loans which is holding the competition.

Prize Conditions: Grand Prize payable over course of 40 years in annual payments of $25 million. Grand Prize Winner may elect to receive a one-time payment of $500 million. Odds: Grand Prize 1:9,223,372,036,854,775,808, which may vary depending upon the knowledge and skill of entrant; First Prize odds of winning depend on number and quality of entries received. Winners List: available upon verification

Reply #26

rdgrnr — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 04:40:20 GMT

Ask Warren for a Quick Pick.

And sue him if he doesn't provide them.

That's what I'm gonna do.

Let's make it a class action.

Reply #25

PrinceRene — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 04:30:00 GMT

If it ever comes down to this, then you had better take the deal. If you refuse, you know Buffet will do everything in his power to make sure your prediction doesn't come true even if it means bribing a few of the basketball players to lose the game on purpose.

Reply #24

Jon D — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 04:26:36 GMT

Yep, I would too! Don't know what his offer would be, he didn't say. That's just a guess.

I've seen other reports say that it's not just your regular 64 team bracket,(63 games) they want you to pick the first four as well, choosing all 67 games correctly. That makes it even harder, instead of 9.2 quintillion, that's a whopping 147.5 quintillion to one.

So if you somehow make it to the final four, you beat 1 in 18.4 quintillion odds already. So to risk all or nothing on a 1 in 8 chance to g... [ More ]

Reply #23

onlymoney — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:58:32 GMT

The last question you added is pure conjecture and debatable.

Reply #22

Masone — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:57:33 GMT

I would take the 100 million so fast that you wouldn't even see me move. My briefcase would just appear next to Mr. Buffett.

Reply #21

whiteballz — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:52:22 GMT

tell me where I can get quick pick NCAA tournament brackets.

Reply #20

rdgrnr — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:52:01 GMT

So what would you people buy if you won?

A buncha stuff.

How would you find the best financial lawyer?

Lawyers are for lazy dopes.

Would you give money to family?

Yes.

Is giving money to your friends acceptable?

Yes.

Is winning that much moral?

Yes.

What type of car would you buy?

A Fleet of Bentleys and Aston Martins.

Will you donate money to a charity?

Yes.

Would you keep playing the lottery after a major win?

Yes.

Would you buy this ticket in a

Reply #19

onlymoney — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:32:37 GMT

So what would you people buy if you won?

How would you find the best financial lawyer?

Would you give money to family?

Is giving money to your friends acceptable?

Is winning that much moral?

What type of car would you buy?

Will you donate money to a charity?

Would you keep playing the lottery after a major win?

Would you buy this ticket in a store that had the most winners?

Do you play QPs or self picks?

How much cash would you carry if you won a billion?

Where w... [ More ]

Reply #18

Jon D — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 02:07:55 GMT

I heard Buffett said on the news that if someone somehow overcomes the odds of having a correct bracket all the way up to the final four, that he may do a Deal or No Deal type of offer to buy them out at that point.

He'll make them an offer they can't refuse.

The banker will offer to buy your case for $100 million . . . or you can sleep with the fishes.

So do you take the $100M and walk away, or risk it all (winning nothing) for the chance at the billion (annuity) or $500M cash... [ More ]

Reply #17

Masone — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:29:28 GMT

I think they'll give us more information in the coming months. There are a lot of sites that let you fill out brackets, so I'm guessing they are going to get a sponsorship from one. We have to know the teams that will be in the tournament first.

Reply #16

sully16 — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:19:12 GMT

Reply #15

GASMETERGUY — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:19:12 GMT

Me, too. I want to be a part of this. Where is the sign-up sheet

Reply #14

sully16 — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:17:48 GMT

Well said, I would sit that one out, free or not.

Reply #13

tony869 — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 01:13:44 GMT

So where can i sign up at

Reply #12

Artist77 — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 00:59:23 GMT

I may play this even though I know almost nothing about basketball. I will take the $500 million lump sum.

Reply #11

Shelby Mustang — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 00:48:23 GMT

Probably not. I root for Carolina every year and when they get kicked out of it I could care less then

Reply #10

rdgrnr — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 00:05:23 GMT

Piece o' cake.

Reply #9

whiteballz — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:59:34 GMT

Omaha! Omaha! Omaha

Reply #8

helpmewin — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:53:27 GMT

Same ole Warren Buffett

Reply #7

four4me — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:45:58 GMT

quad trillion to one odds good luck

Reply #6

Masone — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:41:44 GMT

Lump sum baby.

Reply #5

whiteballz — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:26:27 GMT

The $1 billion will be paid in 40 annual installments of $25 million. Or if you don t want to wait around that long, you can claim a lump sum payment of just half: $500 million.

so I guess the big question that needs to be answered is: are you going to take the annuity or lump sum

Reply #4

LottoMetro — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:10:18 GMT

Can't beat free, so I yes will be particpating. The prize is $25 million over 40 years, but they are offering the option of $500 million lump sum. They are also going to have 20 runner up prizes of $100,000 towards a house.

The article is inaccurate. The odds of winning when each team is given equal (50/50) chance of winning are 1 in 263

That's quintillions. Depending on the picker, the actual odds are much better, but still in the billions/trillions.

Reply #3

hearsetrax — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 23:06:02 GMT

Reply #2

BuyLow — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 22:52:51 GMT

Thrifty will win cause he doesn't have to spend a dollar to win, lol. Fingers crossed

Reply #1

hearsetrax — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 22:39:48 GMT

would be curious if anyone could pull it off

Billion dollar lottery in March

Masone — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 22:29:54 GMT

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2014/01/21/warren-buffett-offers-1-billion-for-perfect-march-madness-bracket/

Today, Warren Buffett had tongues wagging about basketball. The billionaire, who ranks 4th on Forbes list of top billionaires, with an estimated worth of $53 billion, wants to make you an offer: he ll give you $1 billion for a perfect March Madness bracket.

Nope, that s not a typo.

Buffett, together with his company, Berkshire Hathaway, are offering $1 billion to an... [ More ]