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
American gambling industry
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 17-23
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Board of Directors has announced Heather L. Maurer, MA, CAE as the organisation’s next Executive Director, effective January 7, 2026. Maurer brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the fields of public health, policy and nonprofit management. Most recently, she served as CEO of National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, where she led the organisation to its strongest financial position in more than a decade by expanding revenue streams, restructuring operations and building sustainable reserves to ensure long-term growth. As Executive Director, Ms. Maurer will lead NCPG’s strategic direction and oversee its national programmes, partnerships and advocacy initiatives. Her work will focus on strengthening NCPG’s advocacy presence and uniting affiliates, policymakers, industry leaders and community partners to advance policies that prevent gambling-related harm and expand access to support services.
Hard Rock Casino Tejon, developed in partnership with the Tejon Indian Tribe, officially opens to the public following a celebratory Guitar Smash ceremony marking a historic milestone as the first full-scale gaming and entertainment property in Kern County. Located 80 miles north of Los Angeles, the $600 million project is a multi-phase investment designed to transform the region through hospitality, entertainment and economic development. The destination has created more than 1000 permanent jobs and over 5000 construction-related roles, representing the largest private hospitality investment in Kern County’s history. Hard Rock Casino Tejon is expected to continue delivering lasting benefits for the local economy, tourism sector and community development across the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The opening was celebrated with Hard Rock’s iconic Guitar Smash Ceremony, symbolising a bold new beginning.
Partnerships
BetMGM announced that the company is now an official sports betting and online casino partner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. With this multi-year agreement, BetMGM holds partnerships with all three of Pittsburgh’s major professional sports teams. Key elements of the partnership include prominent BetMGM signage and branding throughout PPG Paints Arena, co-branded social media content, exclusive promotions and premium hospitality assets for VIP fan experiences. BetMGM also plans to introduce Penguins-themed iGaming products in the near future. As BetMGM continues to expand into new markets and introduce new features, responsible gaming remains a key focus. Additionally, BetMGM provides resources to help customers play responsibly including GameSense, an industry leading programme, developed and licensed to MGM Resorts by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming joined forces with nonprofit organisation Ocean Conservancy for the Global Sound Waves joint sustainability programme. This collaboration unites Hard Rock team members and communities worldwide with Ocean Conservancy’s mission of protecting the oceans by reducing waste and driving meaningful environmental change. The partnership, motivated by one of Hard Rock’s guiding mottos: Save the Planet, takes a proactive approach to ocean conservation by focusing on upstream waste management, addressing water, food and material waste to prevent it from polluting the ocean. Through comprehensive waste audits and data-driven analysis, Hard Rock and Ocean Conservancy identify diversion opportunities and implement alternatives that set meaningful waste reduction goals across Hard Rock’s global operations.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 17-23 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
American gambling industry
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 3-9
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
Petroglyph Development Group (PDG), a wholly owned corporation of Snuneymuxw First Nation (Snuneymuxw), and Great Canadian Entertainment announced that they have entered into definitive agreements for the purchase by PDG from Great Canadian Entertainment of two casino businesses, River Rock Casino Resort and Chances Maple Ridge. Upon closing and subject to regulatory and other approvals, PDG is expected to become one of the largest casino operators by revenue in British Columbia, and anticipates being the largest Canadian Indigenous owned gaming operator by revenue in Canada, cementing Snuneymuxw as a leading force in the province’s gaming industry. Building on PDG’s recent acquisitions of Casino Nanaimo and Elements Casino Victoria earlier this year, these transactions demonstrate the strength of the collaboration between PDG and Great Canadian Entertainment and the momentum of PDG’s growing gaming platform.
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has announced the promotion of Michael Meagher to Senior Vice President of Gaming Operations, effective November 3, 2025. Meagher succeeds Maureen Adams, whose retirement was announced earlier this year. He will oversee operations at all gaming and HRM locations throughout the CDI portfolio, along with corporate gaming functions, including analytics, marketing and product performance. Meagher will report directly to Bill Mudd, President and Chief Operating Officer of CDI. Meagher has served as Vice President of Gaming Operations since 2022, where he oversaw nine gaming properties across CDI’s portfolio, including the development and successful grand opening of Terre Haute Casino Resort. In this role, he was instrumental in driving operational performance, enhancing guest experiences and supporting the Company’s continued growth in regional gaming markets.
Partnerships
Zoomd Technologies Ltd has announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with E2-Quadrat communications GMBH (E2), a global leader in digital marketing and technology solutions for the sports and betting industry. With over two decades of experience in the industry, E2 has established itself as a trusted partner to some of the most prominent names in the sector. The privately owned company operates a broad international network of offices enabling it to serve clients on a truly global scale. This partnership is expected to enable E2’s current and future clients worldwide to benefit from Zoomd’s advanced user acquisition (UA) technologies and performance marketing expertise and aligns with Zoomd’s strategic focus on expanding its impact across high-growth verticals.
MyPrize, the fastest growing social gaming business in the US, has announced a strategic partnership with Crypto.com | Derivatives North America (CDNA), a CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse and an affiliate of Crypto.com, to launch MyPrize Markets, a first of its kind product allowing users to access social gaming and prediction markets for the first time in one unified platform. As Crypto.com’s first social gaming partner, MyPrize will leverage the company’s enterprise-grade infrastructure to deliver an engaging and intuitive prediction market experience to its massive global user base, now numbering over 1 million+. This strategic partnership continues MyPrize’s explosive growth in 2025 and further cements its market position as the leading social gaming and entertainment platform.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – November 3-9 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
American gambling industry
Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – October 27-November 2
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Welcome to our weekly roundup of American gambling news again! Here, we are going through the weekly highlights of the American gambling industry which include the latest news and new partnerships. Read on and get updated.
Latest News
The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) announced the addition of the Texas Coalition on Problem Gambling and the Vermont Council on Gaming and Health as its newest state Affiliate members, joining a growing community of organisations dedicated to advancing prevention, education, treatment and recovery for those impacted by problem gambling. While NCPG advocates for problem gambling programmes, policies and funding at the national level, its state affiliates focus efforts closer to home – connecting individuals and families with local resources, community partners and culturally relevant support. With these new additions, NCPG now has Affiliates in 37 states.
The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) has taken further enforcement action against unlicensed gambling operators, issuing cease-and-desist letters to eight online casinos found to be illegally offering internet gaming to Michigan residents. The letters were recently sent to Aussie Play, CryptoGames, FortuneJack, Hugewin Casino, My Stake Casino, Play at Harry’s Casino, RuneChat and Slots Garden. Michigan’s regulated internet gaming and sports betting markets are reserved exclusively for operators licensed and monitored by the MGCB. Any site that offers gambling without state authorisation violates multiple statutes, including the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act and sections of the Michigan Penal Code.
Great Canadian Entertainment announced that 10 of its casinos from coast to coast have successfully achieved RG Check reaccreditation, one of the world’s most comprehensive and rigorous responsible gambling accreditation programmes. RG Check is governed by the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), an independent non-profit organisation recognised internationally for advancing responsible gambling standards. The programme evaluates gaming facilities on a broad set of best-practice criteria, including player safeguards, staff training, self-exclusion options, advertising standards and continuous improvement practices.
Partnerships
CT Interactive is expanding its presence in Peru with a new content launch on Te Apuesto, offering players a curated selection of top-quality games proven successful in other regulated markets. As part of the launch, Te Apuesto will offer exclusive access to Duck of Luck Buy Bonus from CT Interactive’s popular Buy Bonus series. The game features an innovative one-level Buy Bonus mechanic, delivering more strategic gameplay and greater player control. Another exclusive title, Lucky Clover 10, features vintage-inspired graphics and a strong mathematical model, delivering a smooth, engaging gameplay experience. In addition the exclusive titles, Te Apuesto players will also enjoy a variety of new games, including Enchanted Woods, The Shining Globe, Hyper Cuber, The Wild Rhino and Kyoto Magic.
Betsson Group has announced a new partnership with the Peruvian Volleyball Federation (FPV), becoming the Official Sponsor and Naming Partner of Peru’s premier women’s volleyball competition, now officially called the Betsson Peruvian Volleyball League. The 2025/2026 season of the Betsson Peruvian Volleyball League will take place from 25 October 2025 to 3 May 2026, marking the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Peruvian volleyball. This partnership aims to elevate the visibility, professionalism and competitive standards of the sport, strengthening its presence both nationally and internationally. During an official press conference, FPV President Gino Vegas highlighted the key developments of the organisation of the tournament and expressed his enthusiasm for Betsson’s involvement as the league’s new main partner.
The post Gaming Americas Weekly Roundup – October 27-November 2 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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