March Madness is here… and just in time for North Carolina sports betting! As the state opens up for online and mobile sports betting, this month will bring a lot of excitement as we pull for Cinderella, upsets, and covers. While first-half unders are our favorite in the first round, the sportsbooks have other ideas for the men’s NCAA Tournament odds.
UConn is the favorite to repeat, and Houston has moved past Purdue as the second favorite. Conference tournament betting gives us bettors a primer for the brackets. Oh yeah, and the launch of betting in North Carolina also means the launch of Underdog Sportsbook, the newest sportsbook on the market. Finally, in Washington, DC, sports betting is going to FanDuel.
Sports Betting News: NCAA Tournament And Conference Odds; North Carolina Goes Live; DC Betting Goes to FanDuel; And More
One of sports’ top betting events is here—the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. UConn continues to be the odds-on favorite to win, moving from +1200 at the opening of betting to +500 now at BetMGM. Houston is second at +600, while Purdue is third at +700.
Kentucky continues to be a public favorite, with 12 percent of the tickets and 13 percent of the handle. Only UConn has a higher handle, with 15 percent, but nobody has more tickets. The Wildcats, though, are +2200 to win the title.
Arizona (+1000), Tennessee (+1100), and North Carolina (+1800) round out the NCAA Tournament odds favorites under +2000. Auburn is at +2000, while Kansas, Duke, Marquette, Iowa State, and Alabama are all at +2500 to cut down the nets.
Conference Tournament Odds
Even though the men’s basketball conference tournaments have started, bettors can get into the swing of March Madness with these insights from BetMGM.
North Carolina is the public’s favorite to win the ACC. The Tar Heels have the most tickets (54.2 percent) and handle (57.5 percent). UNC is also the conference tournament odds favorite at +160. Duke is second at +175.
In the Big 12, Baylor is the public’s choice, with 49 percent of the tickets and 44 percent of the handle. Houston, though, is the odds leader at -150.
Marquette has the public’s favor in the Big East with 28 percent of tickets and 39 percent of the handle. UConn is the favorite at -165.
Purdue has the most handle (31 percent) and is the conference tournament odds favorite at -110 to win the Big Ten. The most tickets are held by Ohio State (20 percent).
Rounding out the major conference tournament betting odds are Arizona as a -165 favorite in the final PAC-12 tourney, while Tennessee is the favorite to take the SEC tourney title at +160. Kentucky holds the most tickets (51 percent) and handle (66 percent) in the SEC, while USC holds the most tickets (35 percent) and handle (37 percent) in the PAC-12.
Online, Mobile North Carolina Sports Betting Goes Live
Online and mobile sports gambling in North Carolina launched this week with great fanfare, just in time for college basketball’s conference tournament betting.
DraftKings, FanDuel, ESPN BET, BetMGM, Bet365, Fanatics, and Underdog are all live in the Tar Heel state. Each sportsbook needed a professional sports partner to be approved. The seven competitors are also spending time and money as they vie for users.
DraftKings, who is partnered with NASCAR, saw spokesperson Greg Olsen place a ceremonial first bet on Bubba Wallace to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series. Olsen was a star tight end for the Carolina Panthers, and the bet was for $100.
FanDuel and ESPN BET celebrated North Carolina sports betting with their broadcast talent making appearances in the state. Kay Adams broadcasted her FanDuelTV show from the Carolina Panthers stadium.
Stephen A. Smith is celebrating the Worldwide Leader’s stake at a local watering house in Charlotte on Friday. FanDuel is partnered with the Panthers, while ESPN BET’s partner is Quail Hollow Golf Club.
The other North Carolina sports betting partners include:
- Bet365 with the Charlotte Hornets
- BetMGM with Charlotte Motor Speedway
- Fanatics with the Carolina Hurricanes
- Underdog with Sedgefield Country Club
Underdog Sportsbook Launches
The launch of mobile betting in North Carolina also meant the debut of Underdog Sportsbook. The first sports betting product from Underdog, the easy-to-use Underdog Sportsbook, is available for download at www.underdogsports.com.
“Underdog Sportsbook is built for today’s American sports fan,” said Jeremy Levine, Underdog founder and co-CEO. “We’ve spent the last three years building our own technology platform so that we can offer a new and modern sports betting experience.”
Underdog Sportsbook is player forward. The simple and intuitive design gives fans the easiest way to express their opinions on sports.
Following a simple registration process, Underdog customers who log in with their fantasy credentials will easily be able to use winnings and balances on both their fantasy and sportsbook experiences.
In the coming weeks and months, new features will include additional ways to bet, increased deposit and withdrawal options, original games, and more.
Read more about Underdog and their plans here.
FanDuel Takes Over Washington, DC Sports Betting
As the public bets between a couple of old geezers this November, an old faithful is taking over Washington, DC, sports betting.
FanDuel is taking over as the sole sportsbook app in our nation’s capital starting this spring. The popular app is replacing GambetDC, which has underperformed revenue and user expectations since launching in 2020.
The DC Lottery reported just $1.3 million in sports gambling tax revenue in 2023. It was expected to be $10 million. GambetDC has reported issues with its app that have led to dissatisfaction by the public.
“I have heard from many residents about the unease around the city’s woeful performance on sports betting. And I share those same sentiments,” said Kenyan McDuffie, Councilmember during an oversight hearing in January. “From issues around usability to customer service and seriously declining revenue, we know the current model simply is not working. These concerns have only grown over time.”
The move to FanDuel is a smart one by the lottery commission for the Washington DC sports betting public. Neighboring states Maryland and Virginia also allow FanDuel. This will make it much easier for users to bet when in Washington, DC.
Alabama Sports Betting Falls In State Senate
The Alabama House recently passed a bill that would’ve allowed sports betting. It was part of a bill that also made table games and a state lottery legal.
However, the Alabama State Senate has removed sports betting and table games from that bill. They cited the lack of education on the topic by the public and a bigger desire for a state lottery as the reasons.
If sports gambling is to pass in the state, it looks like it will have to be on its own bill. Read more in this article.
