Press Releases
GONZAGA THE BETTING FAVORITE AS MARCH MADNESS BEGINS Overall top seed Bulldogs favored to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, with Arizona, Duke and Kentucky also getting top odds, according to TheLines
Oddsmakers have installed the Gonzaga Bulldogs as the favorite to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, according to TheLines, which tracks odds in the U.S. regulated sports betting market.
Gonzaga, which has reached the championship game twice in the last four tournaments, is favored to win the Washington school’s first national championship, according to a consensus of the nation’s largest legal online sportsbooks — including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, and PointsBet. Gonzaga, the No. 1 overall seed for the tourney, is listed at +350, which means bettors would win $350 for each $100 wagered on the Bulldogs.
A quartet of college basketball bluebloods are next on the favorites list. The Arizona Wildcats have the second-best odds at +650. The Kentucky Wildcats are next at +750, followed by the Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks, both listed at +1100. The Baylor Bears, which won last year’s title by beating Gonzaga, are listed at +1200.
Duke, which has won five national championships under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, will get considerable media attention the longer it stays alive in the tournament. This will be the last tournament for Krzyzewski, who is retiring after the season. He is the winningest coach in men’s basketball history and only legendary UCLA coach John Wooden has more NCAA championships.
“The NCAA Tournament is one of the most captivating events in sports, and the single-most bet-on sporting event in the U.S.,” said Brett Collson, lead analyst for TheLines. “But the buzz about March Madness also comes from the nature of the tournament and brackets. From million-dollar contests to office pools, the number of people with interest in the games escalates year after year.”
There has never been a verifiable perfect bracket logged in the history of March Madness and the odds of doing so are astronomical. According to the NCAA, the odds of picking a perfect bracket with knowledge of the game are more than 120 billion to 1, and the odds of a perfect bracket by flipping a coin for each game are 9.2 quintillion to one.
So while Bally’s offers $100 million for a perfect bracket, one has better odds of becoming president of the United States, being killed by a shark or winning an Oscar, according to PlayUSA.com.
Consensus odds for the top-15 favorites to win this year’s men’s college basketball national championship, as of Sunday, March 13:
- Gonzaga Bulldogs, +350
- Arizona Wildcats, +650
- Kentucky Wildcats, +750
- Kansas Jayhawks, +1100
- Duke Blue Devils, +1100
- Baylor Bears, +1200
- Purdue Boilermakers, +1500
- Auburn Tigers, +1500
- Texas Tech Red Raiders, +2200
- Villanova Wildcats, +2200
- UCLA Bruins, +2500
- Tennessee Volunteers, +2200
- Houston Cougars, +3000
- Iowa Hawkeyes, +3500
- Illinois Fighting Illini, +4000
To access updated March Madness odds, and for more analysis, visit www.thelines.com/odds/march-madness/
Latest News
THE UNIT TO STEP UP EXPANSION PLANS WITH OPENING OF NEW YORK CITY OFFICE
The Unit aims to grow its presence in the Americas with move to new Manhattan location in January 2025 at Bank of Ireland’s NYC Hub
The Unit, a leader in product design and development for sports betting and iGaming, will proudly open its new office in New York City, as part of its long-term global expansion objectives, in January 2025.
The Americas division was established in 2023 with the launch of The Unit’s partnership with online operator PlayStar Casino. The New York City office, located in the heart of Manhattan, will now be the hub for The Unit’s activity in the Americas.
This new base will be located at Bank of Ireland’s NYC Hub, which was launched to help Irish business owners expand their North American operations. The offices at 2 Grand Central Tower are a great asset to Irish companies aiming to expand their operations in the United States and beyond. This is an ideal location for The Unit to grow its footprint in the region.
The project will be put into practice by The Unit’s Head of Business Development & Account Management Mark O’Hare, who has relocated to New York and will be responsible for The Unit’s commercial growth in the region.
With product and development teams in Ireland and Moldova, the addition of an American hub is further proof The Unit holds an unwavering commitment to becoming the partner of choice, on a global scale, throughout the industry.
Paddy Casey, Co-founder at The Unit, said: “These are exciting times for The Unit, and with plans in place to exponentially grow our presence in the Americas across the next few years, the start of 2025 will be the perfect time for us to move into one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
“This will be the ideal addition to our existing bases in Ireland and Moldova. The flexible workspace the hub can provide will be integral to our plans and will give us the opportunity to grow the team.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us to touch base with clients in the Americas and strategise further launches. We’re looking forward to mapping out our future in the region with our team on the ground there.
“I would like to thank Mark O’Hare for making the move to New York, and I’m sure both he and his team will have the skills and experience to execute our vision for the Americas division across the long-term.”
Tania Sheikh, Manager of NYC Hub for Bank of Ireland, said: “We are very pleased to welcome The Unit to the NYC Hub. The facilities we can provide have helped businesses scale up and connect with their partners, and we are proud to offer that opportunity to The Unit.
“We look forward to hosting The Unit and wish them well in their endeavors to grow their business here.”
The Unit has solidified its strong track record of building world-class, scalable and efficient products for the sports betting and iGaming sector in recent years.
As The Unit embarks on this exciting period of growth, the company remains committed to delivering exceptional products and services to its clients. With its experienced team, best-in-class product development capabilities, and focus on innovation, The Unit is poised to shape the future of the sports betting and iGaming industries.
Latest News
Golden Matrix Group to Participate in the 2025 ICR Conference
Golden Matrix Group Inc., a developer and licensor of online gaming platforms, systems, and gaming content, today announced that management will participate in the 2025 ICR Conference on January 13-15, 2025 at the Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, FL.
Zoran Milosevic, Chief Executive Officer of Meridianbet, will participate in a fireside chat with an equity research analyst on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 2:30 PM ET and will also be available for meetings during the conference.
Canada
Be #GiftSmart: Scratch the Idea of Gifting Scratch & Win Tickets to Kids
BCLC reminds adults to gift responsibly this holiday season
With the holiday season in full swing, BCLC is reminding British Columbians to gift responsibly and scratch lottery products from their shopping lists for kids.
“Scratch & Win tickets can make great stocking stuffers for the adults in your life, but they’re not for kids,” said Ryan McCarthy, BCLC’s Director of Player Health. “The research shows that children who have early encounters with gambling are four times more likely to develop riskier gambling behaviour as they grow up. While people are out shopping for those last-minute gifts, BCLC wants adults to be aware of the potential risks associated with gifting lottery products to children and to consider safer alternatives.”
While Scratch & Win tickets are among the most common ways kids can be introduced to gambling, children are increasingly exposed to various online forms, such as gambling streams.
“With the convergence of gaming and gambling, youth are becoming more exposed to gambling content in online spaces like streaming sites, where creators are able to live-stream their own gambling, usually while playing online slots and instant games,” said Dr. Luke Clark, Director for Gambling Research at UBC. “Our research at the UBC Centre for Gambling shows that a higher frequency of watching online gambling streams is associated with a more positive attitude towards gambling and a high intention to gamble in the future.”
In B.C., it is illegal to sell lottery products to anyone under the age of 19 and BCLC encourages adults to have conversations with the kids in their lives about the risks associated with gambling.
“Open and honest conversations are crucial when it comes to navigating childhood exposure to gambling,” said McCarthy, who shared the following tips to adults:
- Monitor for gambling-related lifestyle changes. For example, developing a positive attitude towards gambling or a preoccupation with video games or streaming sites.
- Be a positive role model. Exhibit safer gambling behaviour and talk about the risks.
- Limit exposure. Monitor kids’ online activities and discourage engagement with gambling content. Explain how gambling is based on chance.
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