March Madness games are right around the corner and, with the start of both the men’s and women’s tournaments, an eye-popping number of bets are poised to be placed.
The First Four games will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday for the men’s tournament. For the women’s tournament, the First Four are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, according to the NCAA.
The tournaments will run over the course of a couple of weeks, culminating in a championship game on April 5 for the top men’s teams and one on April 6 for the top women’s teams.
During the entirety of March Madness, a whopping $3.1 billion in legal bets will be placed in the U.S., the American Gaming Association (AGA) projected late last week.
“March Madness is one of the most exciting times in American sports, with fans first up for both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. As legal wagering expands across the U.S., more fans than ever have the opportunity to bet legally and responsibly,” AGA Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications Joe Maloney said in a statement.
That estimated total would be a roughly $400 million jump from the year before. In 2024, bets on March Madness by Americans totalled $2.7 billion, according to the AGA.
ELON MUSK HINTS NEW GROK AI COULD BEAT WARREN BUFFETT’S MARCH MADNESS BRACKET CHALLENGE
This year’s men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments are also expected to bring big numbers of viewers, especially as it nears the end.
During March Madness last year, the men’s championship game between the UConn Huskies and Purdue Boilermakers averaged 14.69 million people watching, according to the NCAA.
Viewership for the final game of the 2024 women’s tournament notched 18.7 million viewers on average, the NCAA said. The South Carolina Gamecocks and Iowa Hawkeyes played in that matchup.
The championship games for March Madness this year will be held in San Antonio for the men’s tournament and Tampa, Florida for the women’s tournament.
