Australian Open organisers have been slammed for offering fans the chance to win $10million in a competition that’s been labelled ‘impossible’ to win.
Teaming up with cryptocurrency platform Nexo, the AO will give away the life-changing cash to anyone who correctly predicts the winner of every match in either the men’s or women’s singles draw – a total of 127 matches.
Only one entry per person per draw (men’s or women’s) is permitted – and if no-one manages to pick every winner, consolation prizes will be awarded to the highest-scoring brackets in each draw, with $10,000 for the top men’s and women’s entries.
‘This is a game of skill, not chance,’ Tennis Australia Chief Commercial Officer Cedric Cornelis claimed.
‘The AO Bracket Challenge is about rewarding tennis knowledge and creating an exciting new way for fans to engage with the tournament.’
It is open exclusively to Australian residents in 2026, with plans to expand internationally in future years.
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The AO26 $10 Million Bracket Challenge will go live after 4pm on January 15.
Not surprisingly, the sporting challenge has been mocked by many tennis fans online.
‘Just simply not possible, pointless. Too many injury occurrences throughout the duration of two-week tournament of best-of-five set matches. Basically they get a whole load of engagement and give nothing back in return,’ one person said.
‘They could offer $1trillion, nobody will ever guess 127 matches correctly. What a joke,’ another said.
‘Seriously, why even bother? Everyone will be eliminated before the end of round one,’ a third predicted.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenburg agreed with fans, but was also unhappy with another aspect of the competition.
‘Do not love Tennis Australia partnering with a crypto company to promote a prize that is truly impossible for anyone to win,’ Rothenburg wrote on X.
But others didn’t see the problem, considering it was a free shot at $10million.
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Australian Open has teamed up with cryptocurrency platform Nexo for the fan competition
‘For many, it’s nice to create a bracket and see how well you can do. Even if many think it’s impossible so what? You make brackets for fun with no prize in the past,’ one replied to Rothenburg.
‘No-one losing money, plus makes it more fun to watch. We need bracket challenges for every tournament,’ another person wrote.
Some called for the Gaming Authority in Victoria to look into it, while others said it typified the gambling culture of Australia.
Tennis Australia and Nexo were contacted for comment.
