March Madness Crazy Enough For You?
Sports betting news and information for bettor by bettors ...
Who would have guessed that a No. 1 would fall in the first round for only the second time in Tournament history? Purdue was ranked No. 1 for a few weeks this year and a popular pick to win it all, and they get beat by Fairleigh Dickinson? Who even knew where that school was before they upset Purdue (I didn't; it's in New Jersey)?
This school's previous proudest athletic achievement was two women's bowling national championships. Okay — two national championships are more impressive than a single win. It's not like the Knights will finish the season ranked in either poll.
But to one bettor, that is not going to matter. This person's friends likely thought he/she was mad for putting $33K on Fairleigh Dickinson to beat Purdue. Since they did, he/she got to pocket a nice $495,000 payday!
It's crazy until it pays, but when it does, it pays well. But enough beating around the bush. It's time to talk about the week in sports betting.
More March Madness, Please!
It's been a heck of a tournament so far, full of crazy upsets, close games, and wild finishes.
The Under went 33-11 through Saturday. Bettors caught on by Saturday night, and books saw a flood of bets on the Under for Sunday's slate — where six of eight games saw the Over hit.
It's hard not to wonder how to approach the Sweet 16. Will defense continue to rule the court? Are scores going to remain relatively low, or will tonight mark the beginning of a new trend? If anyone has a crystal ball and can check on that, get back to me (I'll share the news, I promise).
Until someone gets back to me with what they see in their crystal ball, all I can say is, check the previews and predictions our writers have been posting to Gaming Today:
Tennessee vs. Florida Atlantic Predictions, Odds, Props: Vols Eye First Elite Eight in Over a Decade
Michigan State vs. Kansas State Predictions, Odds: Can the Spartans Continue Their Unlikely Run?
March Madness Player Props & Parlay Picks: Eight Plays for Thursday's Sweet 16 Slate
Arkansas vs. UConn Predictions, Odds, Trends: A Play on This March Madness Sweet 16 Total
UCLA vs. Gonzaga Predictions, Odds, Props: Defense Rules March Madness Sweet 16 Matchup
March Madness Sweet 16 Betting Trends: Sharp Bettors Target Underdogs
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Vegas Sportsbook Report & Expert Picks: Will Unders Keep Cashing?
Also check our March Madness Odds page for current futures prices.
Football Never Takes A Break
My wife is always happy when the NFL season ends because my Sundays become open for longer 'Honey Do' lists. But now that spring football seems here to stay (for now), that is no longer the case. Since there are only four games each week in the XFL, I can DVR them and watch all four.
That has also helped make the 'Honey Do' lists shorter on Saturdays! This week, there's a Monday night game, too.
I don't think she'll believe me when I tell her we have another spring league when the USFL kicks off next month. Anyway…
If you are hungry for NFL content, we never stop working on the NFL. This offseason has been especially busy with the coaching and quarterback carousels, free agency, the draft, and the never-ending Aaron Rodgers saga. For a look at Super Bowl 58, take a look at:
Elsewhere In The Wide World Of Sports Betting…
I typically like to cover a second sport in the newsletter, but let's be real here — college basketball is where it's at this week. But we have created some content covering other sports.
Gage Miskimen has you covered for Saturday's UFC on ESPN 43 event in San Antonio. Bill Bowman has you covered on golf with a preview of the Corales Puntacana Championship and the WGC-Dell Match Play event in Austin.
If you like to bet on golf, let me recommend you check out Gaming Today.com early in the week to catch Bill's articles when they get posted.
We will be ramping up our coverage of MLB in the weeks ahead. For now, check out these articles:
NL East Odds & Predictions 2023: Hard-Luck Mets Doomed To Be Wild Card Again
NL Cy Young Odds & Predictions 2023: Corbin Burnes Narrowly the Consensus Favorite
This Week on the Sports Betting Legal/Business Landscape…
'Hope' appears to be the word of the day for several states without legal online sports betting, including Texas. A bill needs to get passed, of course, but there has been progress in the Texas House.
Yes, I am saying there's a chance...
Missouri has a bill headed to the Senate for approval for the second year in a row. Will this year have a different outcome? It's hard to say; the vote in the House (118-35) was similar to last year's (115-33).
In other legal/business-related news:
16 Sports Betting Apps Possible Under Latest Georgia Proposal
New Jersey Legislators Introduce Bill To Address Gambling Addiction, Sports Betting Advertising
Massachusetts Looks Closer at Promotional Play Write-offs for Sports Betting Operators
Good luck to our friends in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Missouri. Hopefully, you guys can join in on the fun soon!
Sportsbook Promotions: Mar. 23, 2023
The following promotions could come in handy this weekend:
BetRivers: Madness Live Bet & Get! Place a real money wager on any live NCAAB event and receive a 50% matched bonus bet!
FanDuel: CBB Bracket Parlay Insurance. Place a 3+ Leg Parlay, SGP, or SGP+ wager on College Basketball, and if one leg loses, get a refund in bonus bets.
DraftKings: New Customers, Win $150 In Bonus Bets! Bet $5+ on any moneyline and win $150 in Bonus Bets
Caesars: 50% CBB Parlay Token: Tuesday 3/21 – Friday 3/24. Opt-In and get a 50% Parlay Boost Token to use on a 4+ leg, +400 minimum odds parlay for College Basketball!
Terms and conditions apply with every sportsbook promotion. Check out our promo page for the best sign-up offers sportsbook apps have to offer.
Fun With Futures: Comeback Player of the Year
This appears to be in the bag already. If Damar Hamlin plays one down, he will win CPOY. At least in recent years, when a player returns to the field after a life-threatening injury, he was recognized as the CPOY. Alex Smith won in 2020 after he returned from a leg injury that needed 17 surgeries. Eric Berry won in 2015 after missing the '14 season to battle Hodgkin's lymphoma.
But they both returned to the field, started for several games, and played relatively well. Hamlin is not a lock to play again, and even if he makes the active roster for the Bills, he'll likely be a backup to Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.
Hamlin is priced as a heavy favorite to earn CPOY honors (-150 at DraftKings; 60% implied probability to win). The second-shortest odds belong to Trey Lance at +750.
Every player besides Hamlin has value right now. Should it become clear Hamlin will not play much, if at all, the odds for every other potential contender will shorten.
Now, I am not advocating putting big money on anyone. But if you sign up with DraftKings, there are worse ways to use your $50 bonus bet. Let's say Jimmy G blows up in Vegas; a $50 bonus bet will win you $700. Should Cooper Kupp go off and set records for receiving yards and touchdowns, a $50 bet on him will get you $500.
If Hamlin wins, you lose nothing.
That's it for this edition of the Gaming Today Playbook. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much or more as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any questions or want to request a topic to get covered in a future newsletter, you can reach me via email at travis.pulver@catenamedia.com or via Twitter at @FatManWriting.
To close out the GTP this week, I wanted to share something funny about March Madness. But I came across this tweet from our friends at PointsBet and liked the story:
Bet wisely, my friends.
Until Next Week,
Travis Pulver, Sports Betting Writer