Gambling in the USA
Report: College Basketball’s March Madness brings Joy to Online Betting Companies
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
Bettor Capital leads the round as Xpoint accelerates product development and global deployment
Xpoint, a leading geolocation and compliance technology partner to the online real‑money gaming industry, today announced a fresh investment round led by existing investor Bettor Capital.
The capital will fast‑track Xpoint’s R&D roadmap and expand its product and engineering teams, accelerating delivery of next‑generation capabilities to operators worldwide.
Built for gaming from the ground up, Xpoint’s adaptable platform combines fast, accurate precision geofencing with advanced fraud detection to stop spoofing, block unauthorized wagers, and surface suspicious activity in real time, helping operators launch and scale confidently in online real-money gaming markets.
With flexible integration and rapid deployment tailored to sportsbook, iCasino, lottery, DFS, and sweepstakes use cases, Xpoint provides audit ready compliance automation across multi state and international markets. The platform also offers unique, patent-pending algorithms at jurisdictional borders to protect revenues and reduce player friction and drop off.
Xpoint’s recent momentum includes successful active and pending deployments with leading brands such as bet365 and PrizePicks in North America, with more to be announced soon. Xpoint is also live with clients in Brazil and the UAE, including the UAE Lottery and Play971, the first regulated online gaming and sports betting entity in the region.
“This new funding lands at the perfect time for our growth,” said Manu Gambhir, CEO of Xpoint. “We’re scaling up our teams to ship a wave of new capabilities that help operators defeat location spoofing, streamline compliance, and convert more good users—without compromising on precision, scale, or speed.”
“We are delighted to significantly increase our commitment to Xpoint to accelerate product development and deployment”, added David VanEgmond, Founder and Managing Partner at Bettor Capital, “In this industry, robust regulatory and compliance technology is absolutely essential, and Xpoint has proven to consistently deliver substantial value to a growing roster of real-money online gaming operators.”
New Jersey–based Bettor Capital is a venture capital firm specializing in early‑stage investments in technology companies within the real‑money online gaming ecosystem. Bettor Capital was among Xpoint’s first institutional backers and has increased its investment over time.
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Andrzej Hyla Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan
Wazdan strengthens US footprint with launch on Caesars Entertainment’s online casino platforms in West Virginia
Wazdan today announced it has strengthened its North American presence with a new launch in West Virginia across Caesars Entertainment’s marquee online casino platforms, including Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino.
Facilitated by the Light & Wonder aggregation platform, the collaboration sees Wazdan titles go live on Caesars’ online gaming platforms serving players across the Mountain State.
West Virginia players can now access a selection of Wazdan’s top-performing releases, including 9 Coins
Grand Gold Edition, Magic Spins and Hot Slot: 777 Crown, alongside the supplier’s signature engagement-boosting mechanics such as Cash Infinity, Hold the Jackpot and Sticky to Infinity, with each designed to elevate entertainment and deliver measurable growth for operators.
The latest expansion marks another key step for Wazdan in North America, following successful deployments across Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and earlier entries into West Virginia.
Andrzej Hyla, Chief Commercial Officer at Wazdan, said: “Launching with Caesars Entertainment in West Virginia is a fantastic achievement for our team and a pivotal moment in our US strategy.
“Caesars is one of the most recognisable names in gaming and bringing our top titles to their online casino brands, via Light & Wonder, allows us to further broaden our reach while delivering the innovative experiences players have come to expect from Wazdan.”
Ricardo Cornejo Rivas, Vice President of Online Gaming at Caesars Digital, said: “Introducing Wazdan’s popular slot titles to our online casino players in West Virginia furthers our continued commitment to providing the best possible user experience.
“This addition expands our library of premium titles, which we look forward to offering across our online casino platforms in the Mountain State.”
The post Wazdan strengthens US footprint with launch on Caesars Entertainment’s online casino platforms in West Virginia appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
Partnership sees leading branded content and popular Jackpot Royale integrated into Delaware North’s Betly online casino in the Mountain State
White Hat Studios, the “House of Brands” provider to the United States iGaming market, has partnered with Delaware North to launch on its Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia.
The leading provider aims to build its online casino offering with the addition of the industry’s top-performing games.
Betly players in West Virginia will now have access to White Hat Studios’ acclaimed portfolio of premium branded titles, including Ted, The Goonies, and the award-winning 7s Fire Blitz series.
Also included in the rollout are the popular Jackpot Royale and Jackpot Royale Express progressive jackpot networks, currently live across more than 40 titles, and the first Betly-branded iCasino game – Betly Player’s Choice Blackjack.
Designed to elevate player engagement and boost retention, the addition of these promotional tools adds another layer of excitement to the Betly casino offering.
White Hat Studios has made significant strides in its U.S. growth trajectory since launching in 2021, consistently delivering high-performing content across multiple states. West Virginia remains a key market for the provider, following its remarkable success in all seven regulated U.S. iGaming states.
The collaboration represents another major step in White Hat Studios’ expansion across regulated U.S. states and reinforces its reputation as a go-to content partner for forward-thinking operators.
Daniel Lechner, SVP Sales and Marketing at White Hat Studios, said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Delaware North on the Betly online casino app in West Virginia.
“This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering top-tier content quickly and seamlessly to operators across the U.S. With our portfolio of fan-favorite branded titles and innovative features like Jackpot Royale, we’re confident we’ll make an immediate impact for Betly and its players.”
Bob Akeret, General Manager for Betly, added: “We’re excited to welcome White Hat Studios onto our Betly platform in West Virginia. Their reputation for delivering engaging, high-quality games, especially branded content, makes them an ideal partner as we continue to elevate our casino experience.”
The post White Hat Studios launches with Betly mobile sportsbook and casino in West Virginia appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry Newsroom.
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