Gambling in the USA

Report: College Basketball’s March Madness brings Joy to Online Betting Companies

Published

5 years ago

March 24, 2021

The American Gaming Association (AGA) recently reported that over $8.5 billion was wagered on college basketball’s “March Madness” by Americans in 2019 – via a mix of illegal and legal bets.

Of course, 2021 brings with it a new and very different landscape due to the ongoing global health pandemic and also due to the expansion of the legal sports-betting market in the USA.

This year’s NCAA March Madness has begun – but due to COVID-19, for the first time in the history of the competition, the entire tournament is being held in one single state (Indiana this year).

The National Championship Final itself is set to play out on April 5th 2021 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

March Madness – Betting facts, figures, and trends

The latest research and analysis has brought some interesting March Madness sports-betting estimates, facts, and figures to light.

Three times as many Americans planned to wager on this year’s March madness via online sportsbooks compared to 2019.

The pandemic is unquestionably a factor in the huge increase of anticipated bettors, with 17.8 million people expected to gamble on March Madness this year compared with 5.8 million people in 2019.

Even so, 8.3 million bettors are expected to place a bet at a physical sportsbook, which is up 79% from 2019.

That figure is only expected to grow in the future with 45% of American adults now living in a state with legalized sports betting and more states opening up.

“We’ve seen a 200% increase in site searches related to March-Madness betting in 2021 – with sports fans looking for the latest odds & futures for the tournament”

Tom Nielsen, CTO at sports odds website Vegas-odds.com

The dramatic growth in the popularity of sports betting over the course of the last two years can be attributed to the expansion of the legal market, as 73.6 million more Americans in 14 new legal jurisdictions can legally place bets on March Madness this year compared to the 2019 tournament.

A March Madness tournament bracket might be great fun, but it’s worth looking at more traditional wagers at more realistic betting odds on the Money Line, Point Spread and Totals for those hoping to realistically win a few dollars.

There could be a big jump in traditional bets on this year’s tournament compared to 2019, with 30.6 million Americans expected to wager such bets, up from 17.8 million two years ago.

Other March-Madness facts & figures:

The odds of picking all 63 March Madness games correctly is 1 in 9.2 quintillions! (That’s 9,200,000,000,000,000,000)
The longest streak of correct NCAA tournament bracket picks to start the tournament currently stands at an astonishing 49, with an Ohio resident correctly predicting the entire 2019 NCAA tournament into the Sweet 16.
47.4 million American adults plan to bet on March Madness (that’s more than 20% of the population), about the same number that indicated they would bet on the tournament in 2019.
30.6 million Americans expect to place more traditional bets on this year’s tournament, up from 17.8 million in 2019
17.8 million say they will place a bet online, up 206% from 5.8 million in 2019
8.3 million expect to place a bet at a physical sportsbook, up 79% from 2019
Betting with friends/colleagues remains popular – March Madness will likely generate $4.6 billion of wagers from 40 million people betting with friends and colleagues through a total of 149 million brackets, the AGA said.
Regulated Vs International Sportsbooks: The remaining $3.9 billion of wagers will come mostly by way of international websites and bookmakers, though 4.1 million people will also place legal bets through licensed U.S based casinos and sportsbooks in las vegas and other states with legal sports betting operators.
Gonzaga University’s “Bulldogs” team is the betting favorite to win the tournament

Related Topics:American Gaming Association (AGA)March Madness 2021

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Gambling in the USA

SkillOnNet rolls out Ready Play Gaming slots in Ontario, Canada and Mexico

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

skillonnet-rolls-out-ready-play-gaming-slots-in-ontario,-canada-and-mexico

SkillOnNet has launched Ready Play Gaming’s slot portfolio across Ontario, Canada and Mexico, with additional international markets planned to follow later this year.

The content is now available across SkillOnNet’s iGaming brands including PlayOJO, PlayUZU, Slingo, Mega Casino and LuckyNiki.

Titles going live include Ready Play Gaming’s Reel Jackpots series, including Reel Bingo and Reel Triple, which the studio describes as “soft slot” experiences aimed at the bingo generation.

Jani Kontturi at SkillOnNet said: “We are proud to welcome Ready Play Gaming as we continue to strengthen our global content offering with innovative and high-performing studio partners. In a crowded market, they’ve focused on building games with personality and strong entertainment value, and we believe that’s exactly the kind of content today’s players respond to.

Christoph Härtel, COO at Ready Play Gaming said: “Partnering with SkillOnNet is a major milestone for Ready Play Gaming as we continue to expand our international footprint. SkillOnNet’s strong presence in regulated markets and extensive operator network make them an ideal partner to help bring our games to even more players globally.”

The post SkillOnNet rolls out Ready Play Gaming slots in Ontario, Canada and Mexico appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Aviator

Aviator crash game launches in US via Ruby Seven’s Lucky North Casino

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

aviator-crash-game-launches-in-us-via-ruby-seven’s-lucky-north-casino

Aviator has launched in the United States for the first time through Lucky North Casino, a free-to-play social casino from Ruby Seven Studios serving Delaware North casino customers across the country.

The crash game is now live on Lucky North Casino, the official app of the Lucky North Rewards program. According to the announcement, Aviator is available on Android and Apple devices, as well as on the web via LuckyNorthCasino.com.

The company said the launch is the first step in a broader US expansion plan. Aviator is currently available across all eligible US states excluding Washington, and is expected to roll out to “more than a dozen” additional retail-branded social casinos in the coming months via the Ruby Seven Studios network.

Ruby Seven Studios’ network supports nearly 50 retail casino properties across 25 US states, which the company said will extend Aviator’s reach. The release added that a demo version of Aviator had previously been accessible to US audiences through the company’s website.

The launch follows Aviator’s expansion across several markets throughout 2026, with the company pointing to increasing demand for crash-style gaming experiences globally as it broadens distribution in North America.

The post Aviator crash game launches in US via Ruby Seven’s Lucky North Casino appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

1X2 Network

1X2 Network launches iCasino content in West Virginia with Rush Street, Caesars and Fanatics

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2026

Wladimir P.

1x2-network-launches-icasino-content-in-west-virginia-with-rush-street,-caesars-and-fanatics

1X2 Network has launched in West Virginia, marking its second regulated US market. The supplier said a first set of games went live on 3 June 2026 with Rush Street, Caesars Entertainment and Fanatics Casino.

The company entered North America in Michigan two years ago and said it is expanding US distribution off the back of performance there. 1X2 Network did not disclose commercial terms or rollout timelines by operator.

Among the initial titles going live in West Virginia are 3 Hot Chilli Peppers and 3 Porky Banks Hold and Win. The company said both games have been “ranked as top performers in North America” and are aimed at West Virginia’s “core 30-39 year old iGaming demographic.”

Kevin Reid, CEO at 1X2 Network, said: “Buoyed by the performance of our top tier titles in Michigan, we felt the time was right to step up our US expansion plans, and in Rush Street, Caesars Entertainment and Fanatics Casino, we couldn’t think of three better operators to debut our launch into West Virginia.

“Having already worked with these brands in the Great Lakes State, we’re confident that games like 3 Hot Chilli Peppers and 3 Porky Banks Hold and Win will deliver the same great results for them in West Virginia. We also have deals in the pipeline to go live with a number of other big-name operators which will further cement our presence in North America.”

The post 1X2 Network launches iCasino content in West Virginia with Rush Street, Caesars and Fanatics appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.