North Carolinians may be getting a little more involved in this year's NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, as they will be able to legally bet on games for the first time through a smartphone app or computer.
For the sixth year in a row, the number of states allowing legal sports betting has expanded since the last March Madness performance. Currently, a total of 38 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of sports betting, including 30 states and the nation's capital that allow online betting.
This is an increase from Nevada, where people could legally bet on games during the 2018 college basketball tournament before the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for expansion.
Sports betting rules vary by state. Some states prohibit betting on the performance of local college teams or specific players. Some allow you to bet not just on the outcome of college games, but on a variety of other things, such as the number of points, rebounds, and assists a particular player will score.
As the tournament gets underway, with the men's games starting on Tuesday and the women's games on Wednesday, here are some things you need to know about sports betting.
large sum of money
Fans have long filled their NCAA Tournament spots by betting in office pools or playing against friends and family. However, these casual bets are increasingly being supplemented with more formal gambling.
According to the American Gaming Association, the total amount bet on all sports through legal betting sites exceeded $121 billion in 2023, an increase of 30% from the previous year. After winnings were paid out, the sports betting operator had revenue of $11 billion, up from about $7.5 billion a year earlier.
The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be wagered on the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments this year through legal sportsbooks.
“March Madness is the largest individual event of the year in sports betting,” said David Forman, vice president of research at the American Gaming Association.
Even though the Super Bowl has big stakes, it's just one game between two NFL teams. A total of 136 teams will play 134 games over three weeks in the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments.
Can I bet on my team?
Despite living in areas where sports betting is legal, some fans may still be blocked from betting on their favorite teams and players.
Roughly a dozen states prohibit betting on college games involving home state teams. Additionally, his four states – Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont – generally ban bets involving their own college teams, but make exceptions for tournaments.
Some states only allow betting on the outcome of college games, rather than the performance of a specific player. Maryland and Ohio State, for example, banned so-called proposition bets on college players starting this month.
The NCAA has expressed concern that player-specific betting could lead to problems such as harassment and mental health burden for college athletes. The organization also said such bets could induce players to bet on themselves or change their plays to influence statistical bets.
Six states have started or expanded sports betting since the University of Connecticut won last year's men's tournament.
Nebraska began accepting sports wagers at casinos last June, but mobile wagering is not allowed. Kentucky began sports betting in September to coincide with the start of the NFL season, and Maine in November.
Following a court victory, the Seminole Tribe of Florida began offering online sports betting in addition to casino betting in December. The bet continues while a challenge is pending in the Florida Supreme Court. Opponents are also asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.
Vermont launched online sports betting in January.
North Carolina, which had previously only allowed sports betting at three tribal casinos, will open up online sports betting to the entire state on March 11, one day before the start of the popular ACC men's basketball tournament and one day after the women's tournament concludes. I started allowing it.
Odds for other states
Several states have an opportunity to participate in the sports betting trend.
In Missouri, where legislative efforts have repeatedly failed, the St. Louis Cardinals are leading a coalition of professional sports teams in supporting an initiative petition that could put sports betting on the November ballot. There is. Sports betting companies DraftKings and FanDuel have contributed $3 million to the effort. Supporters say they are gathering more signatures than they need by the May 5 deadline.
Lawmakers in Alabama and Georgia are also considering constitutional amendments to authorize sports betting. Georgia senators passed the bill last month, but it would need a two-thirds vote in the House to be put on the ballot this year.
The Alabama House of Representatives included sports betting in a broader gambling package, but the state Senate repealed it earlier this month. The House must now decide whether to accept the changes or negotiate a final version to go to voters.
Bills to legalize sports betting are also pending in Oklahoma and Minnesota. A Minnesota Senate committee on Thursday approved an amendment to increase the proposed tax rate.
Mississippi, which legalized casino sports betting in 2018, is considering expanding to online betting. The bill passed the House last month and now heads to the state Senate.
cross state borders
Sports betting remains illegal in more than a dozen states, but some residents are betting across state lines. In Missouri's two largest cities, St. Louis and Kansas City, you can travel just across the state line in Illinois and Kansas, respectively, to your nearby commuter route or freeway exit ramp to place legal bets through mobile apps. Some people go there by car.
Many other would-be bettors are held back by technology.
During Super Bowl weekend, when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, technology company GeoComply Solutions collected data from approximately 40,500 mobile devices in Missouri that attempted to access legal sports betting sites in other states. It announced that it had processed more than 431,000 location confirmations. Position checks now block these bets.
GeoComply announced over the weekend that it processed an additional 256,000 location checks for sports betting sites from 30,000 devices in Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, and Mississippi.
