Gaming Today Playbook: March Madness Picks & Predictions

...and other sports betting news

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Welcome to the GamingToday Playbook where we get the full rundown of sports betting throughout the week. Here you will find the best picks in the industry from myself, as well as promotions that will help us push the odds in our favor.

The NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday and the “madness” is sure to ensue from there. As a sports bettor myself, we can find some phenomenal odds because there are so many games. So with that, let’s make some money together and dominate the first round of the tournament. 

March Madness Round 1 Best Bets

NCAA’s March Madness tournament is back after a year hiatus. There is no better place to start than right here for sports betting this weekend. 

Gaming Today offers free odds tracking tools. Check out our individual game odds here and odds to win the NCAA Tournament here.

Michigan St. Joey Hauser Under 9.5 points (via DraftKings Sportsbook)

• Starting off with a player prop. Hauser was a serious early-season contributor for the Spartans but has seemingly fallen out of favor. 

• In his last game, he played just 13 minutes and had four points. Over his last nine games, he is averaging just 7.1 points per game. His negative trending minutes combined with the lack of production make it very likely that he does not hit double digits. 

Georgetown Hoyas Are Hot! +200 (via BetMGM Sportsbook)

• Georgetown rolled through the Big East Tournament - including a victory over top-seeded Villanova. They smoked number 2 Creighton in the final and I believe that this line is too high. +200 is excellent value and I would even take it down at +175 where PointsBet Sportsbook has it. 

• Lastly, Colorado lost to Oregon State last week in an upset loss in the PAC-12 title game. Heartbreaking losses like that will test the team’s ability to bounceback.

Moneymaking March Madness Promotions

• Finally, an EXISTING user promotion! PointsBet Sportsbook is offering the best in industry college basketball promotion. Any $100 bet is rewarded with a $50 free bet on college basketball - even if the bet hits! Odds must not be higher than -250 but still - this is a phenomenal value and something I will be taking advantage of all weekend long. The max amount of free bets allowed is $1999 in free bets per person. 

• BetMGM Sportsbook also has a promotion that guarantees a $2 million prize for a perfect bracket… No one has ever had a perfect bracket so I won’t hold my breath on anyone making this a reality. 

• FanDuel Sportsbook is being generous once again. Their ever-popular rising spread bet is back and again for EXISTING users! Bet Michigan State at +99.5 and that number is rising every minute. -110 odds are applied and the max bet is $50 (meaning you will win a free $45.45). Everyone needs to jump on this free money promo.  

• DraftKings Sportsbook has been a little lite on their promotions for March Madness. They have been outdone by many of their competitors. However, they are offering a 12 seed upset boost. Any 12 seed beats a 5 seed you get -125 odds. “Not great but it’s honest work.” 

Prepare For The Weekend Long Madness

• Need help with your bracket before the games start? Well, our very own Rob Miech broke down each region of the bracket and why everyone should fear the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

• Is Cade Cunningham set to take Oklahoma St. on a Carmelo Anthony-like run? Or is he too busy counting the money he is set to make as the top pick? 

  • Miech takes a look to see if there is another round one upset in the making in his Oklahoma St. vs. Liberty picks.

• They aren’t exactly the Fab Five Michigan team but it is the first time that Michigan has been a number 1 seed in the tournament since then. Are they primed for a run? 

  • Michigan State on the other hand plays UCLA on Thursday. Michigan State is a dark horse championship team, they have beaten two number 1 seeds in Michigan and Illinois. Before betting, make sure you are getting the best odds. 

This Week In Big Business Of Sports Betting

• Few will disagree with the reality that live-betting can be a nightmare. In my experience, PointsBet is locked more than every sportsbook in the industry - it is incredibly frustrating.

  • Well, PointsBet reached an agreement with Banach Technology this week as they attempt to take control of the live-betting market. We shall see if this helps because it is the biggest issue on PointsBet’s platform. 

• Golden Nugget Sportsbook has been working hard to get their sportsbook ramped up. I have used it and it’s not the best but it has potential. 

  • Golden Nugget was given a temporary permit in Virginia to begin their launch. They need to launch in as many states as possible to gain a foothold so this is important for them. 

• Online casinos are rapidly gaining in popularity, it is no surprise either. COVID forced casinos to close down, bettors are using online casinos more than ever. 

  • The state of Michigan is clearly reaping the benefits. Their February 2021 revenue was the highest it has ever been. 

The opening rounds of the tournament are typically huge for sports bettors. If you have watched a team all year, you can cash in on bets at astronomical odds. 

~ March Madness is the ultimate get-rich-quick scheme. So make sure to “bet with your head, not over it…” (brownie points if you know what show that is from). 

~Erich Richter, Gaming Today Sports Betting Expert

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