The spread in a college basketball game is just like the point spread bet in a football game. Sportsbooks will set a line for each NCAA tournament game and you take either the favorite by laying the points or the underdog and receive them. You just need to pick the winner with the posted line factored in to cash in on your bet.
March Madness Betting Guide 2019
Facts, Figures, And Other Resources For Legal Betting On March Madness
March Madness Betting Projections
$10 billion
The total amount bet on March Madness — including legally, illegally and via tournament pools — according to an estimate from the American Gaming Association.
$300 million
The amount of money bet on March Madness in 2018 in Nevada, according to the AGA. The amount of legal sports betting will go up exponentially for March Madness 2019, as a number of states now have legal wagering that did not last year.
$15 billion
The total amount that would be bet on March Madness if legalized in every state, both retail and online, according to Eilers & Krejcik Gaming. That wagering would generate more than a billion in gross gaming revenue, according to EKG.
Last Updated: April 5, 2019
March Madness 2019 Time, Date And Where To Watch On TV And Live Stream
NCAA Tournament Schedule: The 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament runs from March 21 (First Round) to April 8 (Championship Game). Here’s a look at the complete March Madness schedule:
| Round | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Selection Sunday | N/A | March 17 |
| First Four | Dayton, Ohio | March 19-20 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Hartford, Conn. | March 21-23 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Salt Lake City, Utah | March 21-23 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Des Moines, Iowa | March 21-23 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Jacksonville, Fla. | March 21-23 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Tulsa, Okla. | March 22-24 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Columbus, Ohio | March 22-24 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | Columbia, S.C. | March 22-24 |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | San Jose, Calif. | March 22-24 |
| South Regional | Louisville, Ky. | March 28-30 |
| West Regional | Anaheim, Calif. | March 28-30 |
| East Regional | Washington, D.C. | March 29-31 |
| Midwest Regional | Kansas City, Mo. | March 29-31 |
| Final Four | Minneapolis, Minn. | April 6 |
| National Championship | Minneapolis, Minn. | April 8 |
Network: CBS
Network streaming: CBS All Access, CBSSports.com, and CBS Sports app via phone, tablet, and connected TV devices (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Chromecast)
Streaming services (varies by market): DirecTV Now, Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV
March Madness printable bracket
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.playusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/PlayUSA2019NCAAbracket.pdf”]
March Madness Betting Facts
9.2 quintillion
March Madness is all about brackets. However, even for the most skilled basketball bracket enthusiast, the odds for winning the top prize are outrageous. The NCAA estimates the odds of anyone putting together a perfect bracket, correctly picking winners in all 63 games on the NCAA Tournament schedule before the first round begins, are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Naturally, with odds like this, it has never been achieved before.
1
The number of times a No. 16 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed in the men’s tournament. Last year UMBC became the first school to pull off such an upset in defeating Virginia.
263
The estimated number of sportsbooks in the US where you can place a legal March Madness bet in 2019. In addition to Nevada, legal sports wagering takes place in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Delaware, Mississippi and New Mexico.
Where Can You Bet On Sports Legally In The US?
New Jersey Legal Sports Betting
Online sportsbooks:
- DraftKings –$600 Free ($100 bets for $5 deposit) + $500 match bet
- FanDuel – $5 Bet pays $250
- SugarHouse – 100% up to $250
- Caesars – $10 Free
- 888 Sport – $10 Free
- BetStars – $50 Free
- Golden Nugget– $20 Free
- BetAmerica
- playMGM
- William Hill
- PointsBet
- Hard Rock
- Resorts
Retail sportsbook locations:
- Borgata
- Resorts
- Ocean Resort
- Monmouth Park
- Meadowlands
- Harrah’s
- Hard Rock
- Golden Nugget
- Bally’s
- Tropicana
Pennsylvania Legal Sports Betting
Retail sportsbook locations:
- Harrah’s Philadelphia
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course
- Parx Casino and Racing
- Rivers Casino
- SugarHouse Casino
- Valley Forge Casino
- Valley Forge Turf Club
- South Philadelphia Turf Club
Opening soon:
Online sports betting is not yet available in PA.
Nevada Legal Sports Betting
There are a number of different retail locations within the state that accept all sports wagers. The majority of these allow you to bet online through their mobile apps, too.
Read more about mobile sports betting apps in Nevada here.
Las Vegas Strip:
Aria
Bally’s
Bellagio
Casino Royale
Caesars Palace
Circus Circus
Cosmopolitan
The Cromwell
Encore
Excalibur
Flamingo
Harrah’s
The Linq
Luxor
Mandalay Bay
MGM Grand
The Mirage
New York-New York
The Palazzo
Paris Las Vegas
Park MGM
Planet Hollywood
Stratosphere
SLS Las Vegas
Treasure Island
Tropicana
The Venetian
Wynn Las Vegas
Downtown Las Vegas:
Binions
California
The D
Downtown Grand
El Cortez
Fremont
Four Queens
Golden Nugget
Plaza
Additional Las Vegas locations:
Aliante
Arizona Charlie’s
Boulder Station
Cannery
Eastside Cannery
Ellis Island
Fiesta Henderson
Fiesta Rancho
Gold Coast
Green Valley Ranch
Hard Rock
Hooters
Jerry’s Nugget
M Resort
The Orleans
Palace Station
Palms
Rampart
Red Rock
Rio
Sam’s Town
Santa Fe Station
Silverton
Silver Sevens
South Point
Suncoast
Sunset Station
Texas Station
Westgate
Laughlin, NV:
Aquarius
Don Laughlin’s Riverside
Edgewater
Golden Nugget
Harrah’s
New Pioneer
Tropicana
Reno/Lake Tahoe:
Atlantis
Baldini’s
Bonanza
Boomtown
Cal Neva
Circus Circus
Eldorado
Grand Sierra
Hard Rock Lake Tahoe
Harrah’s Reno
Harrah’s Tahoe
Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
Lakeside Inn
Montbleu
Peppermill
Rail City
Silver Legacy
Mississippi Legal Sports Betting
Retail sportsbook locations:
- 1st Jackpot Casino Tunica
- Ameristar Casino Hotel
- Beau Rivage Casino
- Boomtown Casino – Biloxi
- Fitzgerald’s Casino – Tunica
- Gold Strike Casino Resort
- Golden Nugget Biloxi
- Hard Rock Casino – Biloxi
- Harlow’s Casino Resort
- Harrah’s Gulf Coast
- Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis
- Hollywood Casino – Tunica
- Horseshoe Resort and Casino – Tunica
- IP Casino Resort Spa
- Island View Casino
- Magnolia Bluffs Casino
- Palace Casino
- Riverwalk Casino
- Sam’s Town Tunica
- Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort
- Silver Slipper Casino
- Treasure Bay Casino
- WaterView Casino and Hotel
Online sports betting outside of the casino is not yet available in Mississippi.
West Virginia Legal Sports Betting
Retail sportsbook locations:
- Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races
- The Greenbrier
- Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort
- Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack
- Mardi Gras Casino & Resort
Online sports betting:
- BetLucky
Delaware Legal Sports Betting
Retail sportsbook locations:
- Delaware Park
- Dover Downs Hotel & Casino
- Harrington Raceway & Casino
Delaware takes certain sports bets through the state lottery as well. Any location where you can buy a lotto ticket is available to you to place NFL bets. Here’s a full list of locations.
Online sports betting is not yet available in Delaware.
New Mexico Legal Sports Betting
Retail sportsbook location:
- Santa Ana Star Casino and Hotel
Online sports betting is not yet available in New Mexico.
Rhode Island Legal Sports Betting
Retail sportsbook locations:
- Twin River Casino
- Twin River Tiverton
Online sports betting is not yet available in Rhode Island.
Latest March Madness videos from the Play Network
Inside the NCAA Tournament Betting Numbers
For the latest NCAA basketball projections and Bracketology, check out our list of favorites:
Ways To Bet On March Madness
Spread
Moneyline
There are no points involved in moneyline bets. When it comes to March Madness betting, you pick the outright winner of any NCAA tournament game, and if you’re right, you get paid based on the odds posted at the sportsbook at the time you made the bet. The odds on the favorite in each game is a negative (-) number representing how much you’ll need to bet to win $100. The odds on the underdog is a positive (+) number representing how much you’ll win for every $100 you bet.
Totals
You can also bet on any NCAA tournament game’s points total if picking a side isn’t necessarily your thing. The sportsbooks will set a line on the total number of points it expects both teams will combine to score. You simply pick whether the actual total will land over or under that line. Instead of worrying about which team is winning, the only concern you have for an over-under bet is the number of points scored in the game.
Futures
Futures are bets where the outcome is not determined until a future date. In college basketball, this traditionally means betting on who will win the National Championship before the season starts. However, sportsbooks will take futures bets on college basketball teams throughout the season and into the NCAA tournament, right up until the the Final Four begins. Just like moneyline bets, winners are paid based on the odds posted at the sportsbook at the time you made the bet. Of course, those odds can fluctuate heavily throughout the year, as a team’s chances of winning change. Futures represent the best way to bet on March Madness before the tournament tips off.
Brackets
March Madness brackets are the traditional way most Americans have always bet on the NCAA tournament. This involves filling out a 63-game NCAA Tournament bracket sheet prior to the start of the tournament and paying to enter it into a pool at the office, local bar or social club. There are also a number of free-to-enter NCAA Tournament bracket sheet contests online every year. Some legal sportsbooks may run legal bracket pools of their own this year. Because you enter these sheets in a pool, you don’t have to pick every game correctly. You just have to pick more winners than anyone else in the pool.
Parlay
A more complex bet is a parlay which consists of at least two separate wagers strung together. To win a parlay bet, one must win every part, or leg, of the parlay. If you have a parlay with five legs and four results win and one loses, the bet loses the same as if you went 0-5. Parlays pay better than individually placed bets because to win a parlay, you must win every part, or leg, of that parlay. Parlays represent a great opportunity to bet small with a chance of winning big.
LEGAL NJ ONLINE SPORTSBOOKS
BetStars
A Stars Group Inc. and Resorts Atlantic City deal gives New Jersey residents access to the BetStars betting app.
FanDuel
FanDuel is one of the top providers for daily fantasy sports and sports betting. Check out the exclusive promo code to get a free bet.
Caesars Casino & Sports
The Caesars Casino & Sports app is powered by Scientific Games and features several types of betting options on a variety of sports.
888 Sportsbook
888 is a worldwide brand and has partnered with Caesars Interactive Entertainment New Jersey
SugarHouse
The popular Philadelphia casino now has an online sportsbook arm in New Jersey thanks to a partnership with the Golden Nugget.
Previous NCAA Tournament Results
Now that you have all the information needed to bet on the 2019 NCAA tournament, let’s look at the results of the last 11 NCAA tournaments:
2008
All four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four for the first time. In the championship game, the Kansas Jayhawks beat Memphis Tigers 75-68 in overtime at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
2009
The North Carolina Tar Heels were a No. 1 seed and went all the way, beating the Michigan State Spartans 89-72 in the championship game at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.
2010
The upstart Butler Bulldogs made their first-ever Final Four appearance. However, Butler lost to the Duke Blue Devils in the final game, marking Duke’s fourth title, 10th championship game and 15th Final Four appearance. The final score in the championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Butler’s home town of Indianapolis, Indiana was 61-59.
2011
Not a single No. 1 seed made the Final Four for the first time since 2006. West Region No. 3 Connecticut was the highest remaining seed and went on to beat the Butler Bulldogs 53-41 in the championship game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
2012
For the first time ever two No. 15 seeds defeated two No. 2 seeds in the first round. The Kentucky Wildcats were the only No. 1 seed to make the Final Four. However, Kentucky did go on to win the championship game 67-59 over the Kansas Jayhawks at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2013
Florida Gulf Coast University beat Georgetown and San Diego State becoming the first No. 15 seed to make a regional semifinal. The Louisville Cardinals beat the Michigan Wolverines 82-76 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia to win its first national title since 1986.
2014
For the first time ever, not a single No. 1, No.2, or No. 3 seed made the championship game. Instead, it was a No. 7 seed, the Connecticut Huskies, beating a No. 8 seed, the Kentucky Wildcats, 60-54 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
2015
Kentucky entered the tournament unbeaten. However, Kentucky lost to Wisconsin in the Final Four. Duke defeated Wisconsin in the championship game 68–63 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana to win its fifth National Championship.
2016
The Villanova Wildcats beat the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74 courtesy of a last second three-point basket in the championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. This marked the first time ever the championship game was decided by a buzzer beater.
2017
Upstart Gonzaga made its first-ever Final Four and championship game appearance. However, the North Carolina Tar Heels beat the Bulldogs 71-65 in the championship game at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to win the school’s sixth National Championship.
2018
The University of Maryland Baltimore County beat Virginia to become the first ever No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament’s first round. A No. 11 seed, Chicago-Loyola, made the Final Four. However, Villanova beat Michigan 79-62 in the championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas to win its second title in three years.
2019
The Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota