March Madness In New England
For the sixth straight year, the number of states allowing legal sports betting has expanded since the last rendition of March Madness. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia now allow some form of sports betting, including 30 states and the nation’s capital that allow online wagering. Let’s take a look at March Madness In New England.
Related Post – March Madness Tips for a Successful Bracket
This Year’s Tournament
“March Madness is the biggest kind of individual event of the year for sports betting,”
David Forman, the American Gaming Association vice president of research.
Latest March Madness Odds,
New England Schools in the Mix
All six states provide sports betting in one form or another. Mobile apps are available in every state. So, if your New England state doesn’t allow betting on the NCAA Tournament, you can drive inside the border of a nearby state, sign up for an account, and you’re ready to go.
In January, Vermont was the last to launch online sports betting in New England. Just in time for the Green Mountain State to follow its Vermont Catamounts
Other New England Schools are in the mix. Connecticut has the most teams involved, with the UConn men of Dan Hurley the favorite and overall #1 seed. Here are the other New England teams to watch for:
CONNECTICUT – UConn Men and Women, Yale Men, Sacred Heart Women, Fairfield Women; VERMONT – UV Men; MASSACHUSETTES – Holy Cross Women; MAINE – UM Women
Women’s March Madness
The NCAA began sponsoring the women’s basketball tournament in 1982, previously run by the AIAW. This is only the second year the women’s tournament was given the right to use the term March Madness in connection with their championship tournament.
Don’t underestimate the quality of play and competition. The women’s game is enjoying a huge upturn in interest. But be careful with your picks, because the number of quality programs has increased exponentially in the last five years.
How Did We Get Here? The Ongoing Saga of Sports Betting in New England
Different Rules for Each New England State
The rules for sports betting vary by state. Some states prohibit bets on home-state college teams or the performance of specific players. Others allow bets not only on the outcome of any college games but also on a variety of other things, such as the number of points, rebounds, and assists that a particular player will tally.
New England is no different. All six states prohibit wagers on in-state teams. However, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont do allow it if their state team is playing in March Madness or NIT. (Yes, there still is an NIT Tournament.) see our March Madness In New England summary below.
New England States & Links | Available Sports Betting Sites (R=Retail Site, M=Mobile Site) | State College Wagering Rules |
---|---|---|
Connecticut | DraftKings – Foxwoods (R & M) FanDuel – Mohegan Sun (R & M) | No betting on in-state college teams (unless they are playing in a tournament). Player props are allowed for out-of-state teams only. |
Maine | DraftKings and Caesars (M only) | No betting on in-state college teams. Prop betting is allowed on out-of-state teams only. |
Massachusetts | WynnBet – Encore BH BetMGM – MGM Springfield (R & M) ESPN BET – Plainridge Park – (R&M) Caesars – Raynham Park MOBILE ONLY: DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics | No betting on in-state college eams (unless they are playing in a tournament). No college player props. |
New Hampshire | DraftKings – (R & M) | No betting on in-state college teams or events. |
Rhode Island | SportsRI – (R & M) | No betting on in-state college teams or events. Prop betting is allowed on out-of-state teams only. |
Vermont | Mobile Only – DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, ESPN BET, ESPN BET | No betting on in-state college teams (unless they are playing in a tournament). No prop bets on college athletes. |
About March Madness
Here are a few quick facts about the NCAA National Basketball Tournament:
- The first NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament was played in 1939.
- It had eight teams.
- Oregon is the first NCAA tournament champion, beating Ohio State for the title.
- The NCAA tournament field grew to 16 teams in 1951, doubled to 32 in 1975, and expanded to its current size of 64 teams in 1985.
- An opening-round game was introduced in 2001. Three more games were added to that round in 2011 for the inaugural First Four.
- The term ‘March Madness’ was first used in 1939.
- There have been 80 NCAA tournaments since 1939, and five schools have been to more than half of them. Kentucky has the most NCAA tournament appearances with 57, followed by North Carolina with 49.
- Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has the most NCAA tournament wins by a single coach (101)
SUMMARY
The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be bet this year on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments through legal sports books. The men’s games start Tuesday and the women’s competition beginning Wednesday. Wagering for March Madness In New England has already begun.
The Final Four is on Saturday, April 6, at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, and the tourney will conclude on Monday, April 8.
Good luck with your brackets.
Robin “Binbin” Aubin