The March Madness NCAA Division 1 Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, which begin next week, are expected to draw $3.3 billion in bets from Americans across regulated sportsbooks, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA).
Sunday of Selection
According to the AGA, this represents a 54% increase over the previous three years and indicates public trust in the regulated market. The AGA estimated $3.1 billion last year.
"March Madness is the highlight of the college basketball season and fans are gearing up for a month of tournament action,” said Bill Miller, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “Fans continue to engage with legal, state- and tribal-regulated sports betting in record numbers during one of the biggest moments on the sports calendar.”
On both sides of the competition, there is always total unpredictability—upsets, buzzer beaters, and Cinderella tales. For sports bettors, this makes it both fascinating and challenging. In the men's division, last year was exceptional as all four of the top seeds—Florida, Houston, Duke, and Auburn—made it to the Final Four.
AGA Projects $3.3 Billion in Gambling
The 68-team fields for the men's and women's championships will be announced tomorrow at 6 p.m. on CBS and 8 p.m. EST on ESPN on Selection Sunday, the official start of March Madness.
In the men's division, the First Four will begin on March 17–18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, with the First Round taking place on March 19–20 and the Second Round on March 21–22. Sweet 16 on March 26–27, followed by the Elite Eight on March 28–29.
Championship Games, April 5–6
The NCAA men's championship game is set for April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, which will host the Final Four on April 4.
In the women's division, the First Four begins on March 18–19 at different university locations, followed by the First Round on March 20–21 and the Second Round on March 22–23. Sweet 16 on March 27–28, followed by the Elite Eight on March 29–30.
The NCAA women's championship game is set for April 5 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, which will host the Final Four on April 3.
Forecasting Markets
In a statement released earlier this week, H2 Gambling Capital predicted $4 billion in sportsbook handle for March Madness, a 6.7% increase over the event last year.
Naturally, these estimates do not take into consideration prediction market wagering on sites like Kalshi and Polymarket; instead, they only take into consideration betting on authorized sportsbooks in 38 U.S. states (as well as Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico). Prediction platform markets are growing. In 2025, DraftKings and FanDuel also introduced prediction market services.
Missouri is the only state in the union to enter the regulated sports betting market since March Madness 2025 when legal sports betting was introduced in December.