Will this be the year in which Warren Buffett will finally grant a million dollar prize

Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO Berkshire Hathaway Almost a decade has been trying to grant a million-dollar prize in the annual gambling competition conducted by the control of the NCAA Basketball Tournament (NCAA National College Sports Association).

But the employees in the entire list of membership of Berkshire, from BNSF Railway, through Geico Insurance Company to See’s Candies, do not stop “miss”.

Now Buffett, who has brought Berkshire’s growth from a difficulty textile manufacturer to a spacious empire with a $ trillion market value, is trying to improve their chances by making a prize winner more. Last year, about 65,000 of nearly 400,000 Berkshire employees participated.

“I’m getting older”

In this context, the 94-year-old famous stock investor said Wall Street Journal, “I’m getting older.” “I want to give a million dollars to someone when I’m still in the area.”

Appreciation of slim chances is not foreign to Buffet. From the selection of shares to insurance, his ability to appreciate uncertainty prevents Berkshire’s immigration. Buffett earned billions of dollars in bet on Apple, with only a few realized the potential of the iPhone maker. Berkshire’s insurance business, meanwhile, earns money by the next account of all existing risks, ranging from car accidents to hurricanes.

In the tough probabilities of “The Crazy March” (college basketball championship tournament in the United States, which takes place for 3 weeks from mid -March to early April), Buffett tried to make his way toward a result that insurance companies would usually prefer to avoid.

“You would like to think that one of them had a chance to win once in four years,” Buffett said. “That’s what we tried to reach.”

This year, the million -dollar award will be awarded to the participant who will choose the winners of at least 30 of the 32 tournament’s first round, designed for Thursday and Friday. The person with the largest number of correct guess will win, and if necessary there are planned equality vouchers. In this case, the next two places will receive $ 100,000 each.

Last year, the registrants received an exemption from the eight -game games by the two teams that were considered to be extremely strong, but except that they were required to guess the results of the first round perfectly.

There is also a consolation prize

If the million dollar is not awarded to any participant, a $ 250,000 consolation prize will be awarded to those who choose the most winning number of the 63 games of the tournament. But Buffett would like to see the bigger payment coming out: “Just think of the excitement it will make if someone gets a million dollars instead.”

“I hope it happens this year,” he said. “This year we did it easier than ever.”

There is a chance for a big victory. In 2017, at least five participants guessed the winners in 31 of the 32 games. That year, the contestants had to guess 32 results out of 32 games to take home a million dollars.

Dwayne Johnson, who was then a steel worker at PRECISION CASTPARTS, won $ 100,000 from Berkshire that the winners of the 29 games correctly-according to the rules of the year, Johnson’s performance would have earned him $ 1 million. In a phone call, Johnson, a 44 -year -old Wigjinia resident who is now looking for a job, is that Buffat called to greet him. He found that the billionaire CEO is “just a really nice, really pleasant guy.” Johnson admitted that he had to discover from Wall Street Journal’s reporter, how big his prize could have been based on this year’s competition laws.

“Oh, it’s a knife to the heart. It’s painful,” he said. “My next question is:” Is it retroactive, Warren? ”

When we told Baptist about Johnson’s question, he laughed, and then invited him to submit a new guess form for this year. Johnson said he was planning to do so.

As for his own form, Buffett said he might ask his assistant to fill him for him. He does not pay much attention to sports these days, “I’m trying to pay attention to shares,” he added.

Berkshire also offers what she calls the “Alalaflosis” (especially impressive): a million dollars a year for life if a single participant is correctly guessing the winners in each of the first 48 games for the tournament’s Sweet 16 round.

The bet is also rising if one of Berkshire’s household tournament groups, Nebraska – the University of Criton or the University of Nebraska Oma – arrives at the championship game. In this case, Berkshire bases in Nahaha will double the loot of the winners.

“Live for the Talk-Tuk in the Office”

In 2019, one in 3,080 forms in the NCAA official competition has chosen at least 30 of the 32 first round games. In a 2021 tournament, which was multi -upheaval, only one form in every 1,578,469 managed to do so.

The chance of winning $ 1 million every year, however, is particularly faint. According to the NCAA, out of more than 150 million online forms that can be verified that the organization has been following since 2016, only one has been correctly guessing the first 48 games.

In Berkshire, competition enthusiasts mark their choices.

Brad Rosen, vice president and consultant in Berkshire’s sub -insurance division, made sure to set up a site where the company collects the forms and employees can track the number of forms competing for the large prize. Rosen publishes updates and interpretations – even though he has not watched one basketball game during the years he does.

“For me, the matter is the competition and enjoyment of other people who love sports,” Rosen said.

One of those people is Eric Waters, director of organizational property services at Oriental Trading in Nahaha. Waters, college basketball fan, who entered Berkshire’s competition each year.

“Warren’s money is safe,” Waters said. But “if he already offers him, I’m going to attend and have little hope.”

Britt Stox, a marketing manager at ACME BRICK in Port Worth, Texas, said he thinks the chance of winning one of the biggest prizes is “like winning the lottery.” But the gambling competition has another social advantage.

“I live for the office trash in the office,” he said.