Yes, college basketball frenzy is everywhere. When did “bracketology” become a word anyway? Everybody has bracket predictions and #1 seeds and Cinderella’s. But the real madness is in the wagering. The pools, bracket contests and dizzying amount of games to wager on starting next weekend make this a favorite time of year for casual fans, office workers and . . . sports bettors.

And, this is also the final shot that many players take at their favorite gambling outlet until next football season. It is also a last gasp for online sportsbooks who often suffer through the doldrums of summer and baseball. Thus, sportsbooks offshore offer March Madness bonuses and bracket contests galore. Here are a few of the most interesting ones we have seen.

Sportsbook Bonuses:

Madness can define a couple of the offers that are currently being offered by some very reputable sportsbooks. Bookmaker has an offer that is hard to beat with a 25% sportsbook bonus, 175% casino bonus and 100% poker bonus, all generated from a minimum single deposit of $300! WagerWeb is doing something a bit unique by tying their bonus into the tournament field. They are offering up 64% free play bonus on a minimum deposit of $100. At 5Dimes players earn a 50% Free-Play Reward on deposits from $100 to $400 PLUS an extra 20% on any amount over $400 up to 2Dimes.

And if you are looking for a cash bonus they are out their as well! Neither of these two outfits are doing anything above their normal cash bonus, but that is because the offer is so substantial every day. Sportbet will give players 50% cash on money transfers, wires or check deposits. And BetJamaica give out their standard $100 for $100; Just send in $100 and get a $100 free play bonus.

With all bonuses beware of the restrictions that may be applied to your deposit. The terms rollover is often used. The rollover is the amount times you have to play through your initial deposit plus bonus. Usually, the bigger the bonus; the bigger the rollover. If you take a free play bonus, use it for a straight bet only. Taking a $100 free bet on a four team parlay could create over a thousand dollars additional action required.

March Madness Contests:

If you are looking for a FREE contest, look no further. Pre-registration for the 9TH annual OSGA College Basketball Pick ’em is underway. This year the grand prize is our biggest ever. OSGA members are eligible for a $1000 Grand Prize. Become an OSGA member to increase your prize pool. In addition to the Grand Prize, the contest offers several hundreds of dollars in free betting accounts courtesy of BetOnline and BetJamaica, more cash and a computer monitor as prizes. Everybody has a chance to win as players who miss the top slots are eligible for a consolation prize of a $10 – 2-team parlay at JustBet. Sign-up for Free Today.

Its ‘Million Dollar Tourney Madness’ at BetJamaica, with over $21,000 in cash prizes or even a $1,000,000 bonus prize available if anyone hits the lottery-like odds and gets all 63 games correct. Not to be outdone with large prize offerings, SBG Global has their annual $500,000 Madness of March Contest. Diamond Sports is offering their version called the “Road to the 2010 Championship Bracket Contest”. This contest is unique in that you get an entry for every $100 deposited – more entries, more chance to win. There are two contest that you can get into that do not involve pcicking every game in the tourney. Bet Phoenix is running a Sweet 16 challenge, where, in a similar model to the Diamond contest, all active BetPhoenix accounts will get 1 free entry, and additional entries will be given for every $200 deposited. And JustBet waits until the final weekend of the Big Dance to get players involved. Their Final Four contest must be completed before the first tip-off but the results are arrived by correctly identifying the four tournament finalists (no point spreads).

So get your tournament prospects lined-up early. There is something for everyone from a free contest here at OSGA to a 300% bonus or million dollar contest at your favorite online sportsbooks.