Men’s March Madness Projected for 68M Bettors, $15.5B in Bets

With Selection Sunday in the books and the bracket set, casual and hardcore bettors alike can turn their attention towards March Madness — where they’ll be part of a massive contingent wagering on the festivities.

Per a new survey from the American Gaming Association, 68 million American adults — or roughly a quarter of that population — plan to bet a total of $15.5 billion on the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.

“March Madness is one of the best traditions in American sports — and America’s most wagered-on competition,” AGA president and CEO Bill Miller said in the release.

Within that figure, 56.3 million plan to enter a bracket contest, 21.5 million plan to bet casually with friends, and 31 million plan to place a traditional bet online, at a retail sportsbook, or with a bookie.

The expanded access to legal sports betting — including, most recently, in Massachusetts — is leading to more novice bettors: Three-quarters of surveyed online bettors say this will be their first time betting on March Madness online.

The bettors surveyed are also keying in on certain teams to win the national championship: 9% are backing Kentucky, 8% are on Texas A&M, and 6% are taking either Alabama, Gonzaga, or UCLA.

Given March Madness is a multi-week event, it should be no surprise that there are projected to be more bettors than the Super Bowl (50M).

However, the magnitude of the Big Game brings out the big bets, as the Super Bowl was projected for $500 million more in handle ($16 billion) than the basketball tournament.