A survey of 2,210 adults across a range of ages, races, ethnicities, education and locations found that 45 million adults are planning to wager on the NCAA college basketball tournament, which officially began this March 13 with Selection Sunday and will run through to April 4.
The survey shows that:
- 45 million American adults plan to wager on March Madness.
- 20.9 million Americans expect to bet on the tournament outside of bracket contests—at a retail sportsbook, online, with a bookie or casually with friends.
- 36.5 million Americans will wager via a bracket contest or similar pool.
“Americans continue to make it clear: they want to wager with the protections of the legal, regulated market.” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “There’s no doubt this year will generate the highest legal handle in March Madness history.”
This year, Americans plan to place a greater share of their bets through non-bracket channels. Of their total betting budget on this year’s tournament, Americans expect to place 76 percent of their wagers outside of brackets, up from 55 percent last year.
Since last year’s tournament, 29 million more American adults can legally wager in their home state compared to March Madness 2021 with Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming launching new legal sports betting markets.
“There’s nothing more thrilling in sports than the magic of March Madness. If you’re getting in on the action, have your game plan to bet responsibly. That means setting a budget, keeping it fun, learning the odds and playing legally,” Miller added.
Bettors name Gonzaga (17%) as their favorite to win the tournament, followed by Duke (12%) and Kentucky (11%).
Source: GMB
