All You Need to Know Going into March Madness
March Madness 2019 is here and it is already shaping up to be an amazing season. Of course, it is not too late to jump into the action and make this spring the best basketball betting experience ever. There are definitely plenty of options to consider and while it may seem overwhelming for some, we will help guide you on the road to success after these hectic few weeks.
For those unfamiliar, March Madness refers to the very busy men's basketball championship for the National Collegiate Athletic Association title. It is played with 68 teams as a single-elimination tournament that started on March 19th and will conclude on April 8th. During this short time span there will be a total of 67 games. The schools taking part in the event and the brackets have been announced on Sunday, March 17, also known as Selection Sunday.
With so many games taking place over 19 days, March Madness has definitely earned its name, even if a good part of the tournament takes place in April. The start always seems to be the most hectic given that surprises can occur very early when one loss means being eliminated from the tournament. So, while fans are nervously following their favorites, sports betting enthusiasts are normally following the numbers. And there are a lot of numbers to follow!
The annual college basketball tournament is the busiest multi-day event when it comes to sports betting. In 2018, bookmakers estimated that around $10 billion were placed in bets on the matches for March Madness. However, only 3% were made with US-based sportsbooks. Of course, this was before the Supreme Court made its decision to decline the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. There are now more options to gamble online in the United States, and you don’t even have to go far to find the best sportsbooks, casinos, and poker rooms. You can actually find them right here.
Now that you have a reliable place to gamble, it is time to look at the odds. The most popular option is for the championship title, with Duke being the favorite by quite a margin. It is safe to say that they earned the top seed with the solid line-up and their impressive first game. For sports betting fans looking to back the favorite, the return right now is about 2/1. Duke's biggest rivals are now Virginia, with 4/1 odds of winning, and Gonzaga, which is at 5/1.
Whether you prefer to root for the favorites or back the underdogs (such as Iowa with 125/1 odds), the best tip here is to always look for the best odds. While the chances of winning will be the same, not all bookmakers give you the same odds. After you are set to wager, make sure to shop around a bit for the best return on your bet. In other words, the smaller the fraction odds, the bigger your winnings will be. For the moneyline format, look for the biggest plus number (e.g. +500).
For extra tips for betting on sports, we would recommend responsible gambling. Always make sure that you play within your limits and never bet money that you can't afford to lose. March madness should be about having fun and a wager can add to the excitement.
