College basketball provides bettors from all over the world with opportunities to win big. If you play your cards right – or more aptly, your bracket – you could see yourself on the right side of a huge payday.
If you are wondering how much money is bet on March Madness each year, the American Gaming Association (AGA) reports that near $10 billion was gambled on March Madness in 2021 via illegal and legal bets, with that number expected to grow in the years to come.
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This grand total of $10 billion wagered accounts for bets done at legal sports betting sites in Vegas, inter-office pools, online sportsbooks, and the NCAA basketball wagering with your cousin. Has he paid you yet? Come on, Jimmy, pony up!
People Love To Bet On Sports, Especially March Madness
One in five American adults contribute to how much is bet on March Madness every year, by filling out a bracket, creating roughly 149 million brackets in total. There are about 329 million people in the U.S. and nearly 40 million of them are laying down wagers on NCAA basketball.
The average bet on March Madness is between $20 and $50 US, or the cost of a latte at Starbucks. We kid. We’re all about extravagant coffee with nine pumps of mocha syrup and 13 shots of espresso to get us through the day.
This chart shows the total handle – a fancy way to say how much money is bet on March Madness – in Las Vegas for the NCAA Tournament since 2004.
| Year | Amount Wagered (USD) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $501,500,000 |
| 2019 | $460,000,000* |
| 2018 | $458,189,114.78 |
| 2017 | $351,808,012.49 |
| 2016 | $337,788,235.29 |
| 2015 | $300,225,806.45 |
| 2014 | $274,831,858.41 |
| 2013 | $259,426,847.66 |
| 2012 | $230,928,281.46 |
| 2011 | $205,224,043.72 |
| 2010 | $211,248,677.25 |
| 2009 | $174,793,893.13 |
| 2008 | $191,171,631.21 |
| 2007 | $182,615,803.81 |
| 2006 | $156,422,264.88 |
| 2005 | $136,707,368.42 |
| 2004 | $122,313,375.80 |
*approximation based on AGA numbers
What About Traditional Sports Betting Types?
Out of the 40 million people in the United States who wager on the men's basketball tournament, only a select few will win their NCAA Tournament bracket contests. In fact, you have a 1 in 9.2 quintillion shot of picking all 63 games correctly. For this reason, we suggest looking into other Madness betting angles on top of bracketry. We’re not saying you shouldn’t create a bracket, but you can bet on March Madness in other ways too.
We recommend the following:
- Moneyline: Picking a Sportsbook of a game straight up
- Point Spread: Choosing a team to cover by a certain number of points
- Totals: Betting on the combined score to go OVER or UNDER the oddsmaker’s set number
- Props: Individual player and team milestones like fouls, threes, etc.
- Parlays: Bundling multiple bets on one betting slip – you can add other sports as well
Our March Madness betting tips, NCAAB Betting News, Odds, Free Picks and Consensus pages can help you handicap your bets, identify betting trends and review futures odds.
What About The NCAA? Does It Clean Up During March Madness?
No matter how much money is bet on the NCAA basketball tournament each year, the competing schools do not see any of the money, no matter how many times your school is billed as “the team to win.” But they do get a piece of that sweet ad revenue and broadcasting rights pie.
CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting – you know, the people who bring us NCIS (insert big city here) and every single Atlanta sports game ever – paid $19.6 billion for the streaming and television rights to the college basketball tournament from 2011 to 2032.
By 2032, Shaq will be president and CEO of the entire world and we’ll all be living in hypoallergenic yurts, but there’s a possibility UCLA will finally win another title.
The average person watches at least six hours of March Madness each year (not including conference tournaments or basketball bets research), forgoing physical activity and sitting on their couch to watch Jim Boeheim’s zone defense. In 2018 alone, over 97 million Americans tuned in – that includes the people watching at home, on their phones and from their tablets. For context, in 2014, the University of Louisville’s basketball program made $41.7 million – that’s before they had to vacate some of their titles. Thanks, Rick Pitino!
March Madness is college basketball’s version of the Super Bowl. Just taking a quick glance at how much is bet on the NCAA basketball tournament each year, you can tell there are betting opportunities everywhere. Even if you just stick to traditional bracket pools, you can still find fun spots to bet against your cousin.
How Much Money Is Bet On March Madness FAQ
How Much Is Bet On March Madness?
When it comes to how much is bet on March Madness, you’ll be wondering why you haven’t bet on the Big Dance at the best March Madness betting sites yet. According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), 47.4 million American adults will bet on March Madness and generated approximately $10 billion bet on March Madness in 2021, with that number only expected to increase over the coming years.
Has Anyone Had A Perfect March Madness Bracket?
No, according to the NCAA, there has never been a verifiably perfect March Madness bracket in the history of the NCAA Tournament. So if you want to be the only individual to ever accomplish such a nearly impossible feat, it’s probably best you learn how to bet on March Madness first and foremost. See you in the March Madness bracket record books!
What Is The Most Common Upset In March Madness?
Excluding 8 vs 9, the most common upset in March Madness is the No. 10 seed over the No. 7 seed in the first round, then the No. 11 seed over the No. 6 seed, and the No. 12 seed over the No. 5 seed. In the second round, it’s the 6 seed vs the 3 seed, then the 7 seed over the 2 seed (excluding 4 vs 5).
