Best March Madness Betting Sites and Apps for 2026
The best March Madness betting sites are Caesars Sportsbook, BetMGM, FanDuel, and DraftKings. The college basketball betting experts at TheLines will review those sportsbooks and many more. Check out a list of the top March Madness betting sites below and see all of the different ways you can wager on the NCAA basketball tournament.
Best March Madness Betting Sites
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How we rank the best March Madness betting sites & Apps
TheLines always encourages college basketball bettors to shop around for the best odds. You can find all sorts of odds comparison tools on our website, including college basketball odds for every daily game and NCAA National Title odds.
Not all sportsbooks are created equally, and our rankings of sportsbooks go above the best college hoops lines. TheLines staff ranks the books above in the order they are placed by the following criteria:
- The Best March Madness Odds
- Fastest Payout Speeds
- Best Promos
- Deposit Options
- User Interface
- Customer Service Access
Is betting on March Madness legal in my state?
College basketball betting is approved in every state that offers legal sports betting, but the specific rules vary. North Carolina sports betting launched last year just in time for March Madness. Kentucky sportsbooks allows legal wagers on the Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals. More established markets like New Jersey and New York do not allow wagering on in-state teams. With this year's East Region final taking place in the Garden State, NJ sportsbooks were not permitted to take bets on any of the three games. Arizona, Colorado, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania do not allow college prop bets on players.
How to bet on March Madness
Pick a college basketball betting site
The majority of legal sports betting states have several March Madness betting sites to choose between. Use the above tables to see which ones are available in your market. Then it comes down to deciding which one you want to go with. Welcome offers, college basketball promos, and betting menus are factors to consider before deciding. The upside is there is no rule against creating multiple sportsbook accounts simultaneously.
Get your bonus and deposit
After selecting a sportsbook, you'll need to register for an account. There will be a spot to enter one of the above promo codes so you can get your welcome bonus. Others do not require a code to receive Bonus Bets or offers. You will also need to provide your name, email, address, date of birth, and the last four of your SSN for verification purposes. Once you register and deposit funds into your sportsbook account, the NCAA Tournament betting can begin. Many March Madness betting sites have a minimum deposit of $10.
Place an NCAA basketball bet
There are plenty of markets to choose between, such as a futures bet on the Duke Blue Devils winning the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Others might've wagered on Arkansas to make the Final Four. The bottom line is, including the First Four, the NCAA Tournament consists of 67 games over three weeks, so there will be no shortage of betting options.
March Madness bet types
Point spread
Betting the point spread on a March Madness game is one of the most common ways to wager. For example, in the national semifinals, Houston, despite being a 1-seed, is a +5.5 underdog against national championship favorite Duke. The Houston Cougars ended up winning the game outright, 70-67.
For this example, those who took the Blue Devils -5.5 needed them to win by at least six points to cover the spread. With the 3-point win, Houston bettors ended up cashing winning tickets.
Moneyline
A moneyline bet on a March Madness game is also extremely common. There are so many college basketball upsets during the tournament that betting the moneyline on an underdog can be quite lucrative - even if you bet a small amount.
An extreme example is from the 2023 NCAA tournament. Sixteen-seed Fairleigh Dickinson had +2000 moneyline odds to upset one-seeded Purdue. Fairleigh Dickinson pulled off the miracle, and those who had Fairleigh Dickinson winning tickets were in the money. A $10 bet on Fairleigh Dickinson to win would have garnered most bettors a $200 profit.
Totals
Totals markets, or over unders, are another common way to bet on NCAA basketball. Let’s use the national championship game between No. 1 Florida and No. 1 Houston that has a total of 142 points.
Bettors must decide which side of the total they like. If you like the over, the final score needs to add up to 143 or higher for a winning ticket. Under bettors need a final score of 141 points or less. It's a good idea to price shop as some books might be offering 141.5.
Futures
Big-picture bettors love futures bets. Various futures bets are available during March Madness, most notably National Title odds.
It is difficult to pin down the winner at the start of the Big Dance just because there are so many teams and major upsets. So more conservative college hoops bettors will entertain markets like “Odds to make the Sweet 16,” “Odds to make the Elite 8,” and “Odds to make the Final Four.”
Props
Prop betting on March Madness can be tricky as states have different laws regarding betting on games played by student-athletes. Team props are more common as they don’t involve an individual. You will often see college basketball team props like “Over Under 3-pointers made by Florida,” and “First basket made: Florida or Houston?”
Player props, like over under player totals, are not always available but be sure to check with your state and sportsbook rules before wagering. Popular player props, if they are available, will include markets like “Walter Clayton Jr. to score 21+ points” or “J'Wan Roberts to have 8+ rebounds.”
College basketball & March Madness betting restrictions
Here is a list of college basketball betting restrictions by state.
| State | Restrictions | Legal Betting Age |
| Arizona | Prop bets on individual college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Colorado | Prop bets on individual college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Connecticut | Wagering on in-state teams (rule does not apply to tournaments) | 21 |
| Delaware | No betting on Delaware college teams | 21 |
| Illinois | Betting on Illinois college teams is only allowed with pregame, in-person bets | 21 |
| Indiana | Prop betting on college sports is limited to pregame only (no live props) | 21 |
| Iowa | Prop bets on individual college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Kansas | None | 21 |
| Kentucky | None | 18 |
| Louisiana | Prop bets on individual college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Maine | No betting on Maine college teams or prop bets on individual college athletes | 21 |
| Maryland | Prop bets on individual college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Massachusetts | Betting on Massachusetts college teams is only permitted if they are playing in a tournament | 21 |
| Michigan | None | 21 |
| Montana | Sports betting available only through the state lottery (Sports Bet Montana) | 18 |
| Nevada | None | 21 |
| New Hampshire | No betting on New Hampshire college teams or events | 18 |
| New Jersey | No betting on New Jersey college teams or games taking place in New Jersey | 21 |
| New York | No betting on New York college teams | 21 |
| North Carolina | None | 21 |
| Ohio | Prop bets on individual college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Oregon | State lottery sportsbooks do not offer college betting | 21 |
| Pennsylvania | Prop bets on college athletes are not allowed | 21 |
| Rhode Island | Wagers on in-state college teams and events are not allowed | 18 |
| South Dakota | No betting on South Dakota college teams or prop bets on individual college athletes; wagers must be placed in person at Deadwood casinos | 21 |
| Tennessee | No prop bets on college athletes or in-game props | 21 |
| Washington | Betting only allowed at tribal casinos; no betting on Washington college teams | 21 |
| Washington D.C. | Betting on games taking place in D.C. or teams based in D.C. is prohibited | 18 |
| Wisconsin | No betting on Wisconsin college teams | 21 |
| Vermont | Wagers on in-state college teams are not allowed and prop bets on college athletes are prohibited | 21 |
| Virginia | Prop bets and wagers on Virginia college teams are prohibited | 21 |
| West Virginia | None | 21 |
| Wyoming | None | 18 |
Benefits Of Betting On March Madness Online
Legal, Regulated Sportsbooks
It's important to make sure the March Madness betting site you're using is legal and regulated. There are many illegal offshore sportsbooks operating in regulated markets that are not safe. Look for an RG logo on any legal March March Madness betting site. It means there are responsible gambling tools built into the platform. They will include setting deposit limits, cooling off periods, and reality check time limits. Adding your name to a temporary/permanent self-exclusion list is available as well at top March Madness betting sites. All betting sites recommended on TheLines are legal, safe, and regulated.
Fast Deposits and Withdrawals
Having access to fast deposits and withdrawals are important when March Madness betting season rolls around. Many March Madness betting sites now offer Venmo betting, PayPal betting, and Apple Pay betting as banking options. These transactions can be completed in a quicker timespan versus ACH or cash at the casino cage.
Live Betting Options
Live betting markets are a big part of the NCAA Tournament betting experience. It can bring an added level of excitement, especially when a top seed like the Kansas Jayhawks or Duke Blue Devils is mounting a big comeback versus an underdog trying to pull off an upset. During the game, top online sportsbooks like the ones mentioned above will add their desired edge to the algorithm's probability. New odds will be computed and offered to bettors. Scoring runs and lead changes are a couple of factors causing the moneyline or point spread odds to change several times during a game.
Bonuses and Promotions
Bonuses and promotions help give March Madness betting sites an edge over the retail sports betting experience at a land-based casino, racetrack, or stadium. You might enjoy an amazing viewing experience at your favorite Las Vegas or Atlantic City sportsbook, but you will likely not receive Bonus Bets or promos such as odds boosts or profit boosts when walking up to the betting window or kiosk. Come NCAA Tournament time, the offers available to new and existing customers tend to be stronger.
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