The American Gaming Association (AGA) anticipates that Americans will wager $3.1 billion with legal sportsbooks on the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments dubbed ‘March Madness.’
This would be a 14.8 percent increase on 2024’s figure of $2.7 billion, which the association suggests “underscores the expanding legal sports betting market and the growing trust in legal wagering options.”
Sports betting is now available in 38 states following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to repeal PASPA in 2018. In states which have not legalized on an individual level, those wishing to wager either have to cross borders or use other means such as crypto sportsbooks.
“March Madness is one of the most exciting times in American sports, with fans fired 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,” said Joe Maloney, the SVP of Strategic Communications for the American Gaming Association.
‘Have A Game Plan’: AGA’s Responsible Gambling Push for March Madness
Ahead of March Madness, the AGA has launched a campaign named: “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly.” The campaign is set to run throughout the month of March, and is split into five principles:
- Set a Budget: Determine how much you are willing to spend and stick to it.
- Keep it Social: Betting should be a form of entertainment shared with others.
- Know the Odds: Understand the games and your chances of winning.
- Play Legally: Use regulated, legal betting platforms.
- Keep Your Cool: The result of a bet – win or lose – is not an invitation to criticize players, coaches, or officials online or in-person.
AGA’s Maloney added: “Keep Your Cool, our newest ‘Have A Game Plan’ principle, is all about keeping betting fun and respecting the game — no matter how unpredictable March Madness becomes.”
Gambling Reform Advocates Warn of ‘Non-Stop Slot Machine’ Effect on Sports
The campaign begins just as Representative Tonko and Senator Blumenthal have pushed for the SAFE Bet Act to be made law. Sen. Blumenthal said at a press conference: “We are here on the eve of March Madness, not to prohibit sports betting, but to make it safer.”
He continued: “The sports betting industry is abhorrently exploiting addiction, purposely and relentlessly, driving people deeper into gambling disorder, which is a disease like all addictions. It should be prevented, not amplified or exploited.”
Other participants at the Capitol Hill press conference included Harry Levant, a gambling reform advocate who claims gambling has taken over American sport. ““Sports once belonged to the American people — to be shared by grandparents, parents and children,” he exclaimed. “Those days are gone. The sports leagues have sold out to the gambling industry. Sports are now the equivalent of a non-stop slot machine where the action never ends.”
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