For the entire month of March, the NCAA Tournament completely dominates the sports betting landscape. With 67 games packed into a three-week slate, March Madness odds are everywhere.

If you’re looking to capitalize on all the odds March Madness has to offer, you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled the top tips to ensure your college basketball betting success — the best sportsbooks to get NCAA March Madness odds, betting lines explained, and more handy information.

To start things off, here’s how the latest odds to win March Madness shake out. The March Madness betting odds were last updated on March 19, 2024:

NCAAB Championship 2024 BetUS
Purdue +750
UConn +500
Houston +750
North Carolina +1800
Arizona +1200
Tennessee +1400
Auburn +1800
Kentucky +2200
Alabama +2500
Duke +2500
Marquette +2000
Iowa State +2200
Illinois +3500
Wisconsin +6000

If the above chart reads like a foreign language, don’t worry, later in this guide, we’ll cover how exactly NCAA March Madness lines work. And remember: March Madness is the NCAA Basketball playoffs, played every March. The four survivors go to the Final Four round—the winners of the Final Four play for the National Championship.

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Top Sportsbooks For March Madness Lines

When we said March Madness lines are everywhere, we weren’t kidding. Being as the NCAA tourney is the second biggest betting event of the year, behind only the NFL Super Bowl, hundreds of betting sites try to lure players for the annual competition.

Heck, lure might be an understatement. A more appropriate word might be “beg” because you’ll find a bevy of special bonuses and promotions built around the tournament. We’ll cover some of those deals later on, but first, let’s focus on which online sportsbooks are best for gambling on NCAA March Madness odds:

NCAA March Madness Betting Lines At Bovada

Bovada’s sportsbook seriously has it all — no matter the sport, league, or even country. Its deep betting catalogue is apparent, none more than when it comes to NCAA March Madness betting lines.

Hundreds upon hundreds of NCAA bracket odds exist at Bovada. That selection ranges from regular moneylines to March Madness prop bets and everything else in between (more on these wager types later on). This level of options means bettors can realistically do all their NCAA tournament betting at Bovada and not miss a beat.

One last thing about Bovada: its user experience is second to none. Despite offering a litany of March Madness lines, the sportsbook is organized neat enough that finding and placing a wager is no hassle. And that goes whether using a desktop or mobile device as the experience between both is seamless.

Bracket Challenge at BetUS

Like Bovada, there’s no shortage of Vegas line March Madness inside BetUS. Not only is there a slew of options, but the prices are very favorable for bettors.

However, BetUS really shines in the bonus department. Whether it’s March Madness or not, there’s always a killer deal at this betting site.

Currently, bettors have their pick at one of two sign-up bonuses at BetUS. You can choose between a 100% or a 125% match. Each deal comes with different rollover and cashback details. And no bettors ever complained about having extra options!

BetOnline Vegas Odds For March Madness

BetOnline is a haven for NCAA basketball odds year-round but especially come March Madness. But the bookie really sweetens the deal with its GameTimeRewards program.

Essentially, it’s a loyalty program. Every bet made at BetOnline — whether that’s on Vegas odds for March Madness or another sport — earns you points. These points can be used for cashback, sweepstake entries, merchandise, and other goodies.

The GameTimeRewards service is especially beneficial for bettors that will be busy come the NCAA tourney and even beyond. In theory, BetOnline is paying bettors to play there, and what’s not to like about that?

March Madness Betting Contests & Promotions

Outside of the regular wagering on the March Madness games themselves, bookmakers also roll out once-a-year promotions directly tied to the tournament. Most of these are centered on filling out a tournament bracket. While hundreds of these contests exist, here are some noteworthy examples:

  • Bovada: historically, this site hosts a “celebrity bracket challenge.” Prior contestants include Snoop Dogg, Chad Ochocinco, and Lisa Ann. Users simply pick between them and are automatically entered into a randomized raffle. Fifty users will be chosen for $100 cash vouchers.
  • BetOnline: Here’s another bracket challenge, however, you don’t need to overcome the staggering odds of perfect bracket March Madness to profit. For an entry fee of just $15, players submit their bracket picks. The top 300 pickers earn prizes, none bigger than the first-place reward of $15,000 cash.

Those looking for more sportsbooks to get Las Vegas odds March Madness, peek at the table below. Also included are long-form site reviews, plus sign-up bonuses currently offered at each. Having all these extra options can maximize the Vegas odds March Madness you get so long as you compare betting prices between each.

Understanding March Madness Betting Odds

Delving into the intricacies of March Madness, it’s essential to comprehend the dynamic world of NCAAB betting odds. From perennial powerhouses like Duke, Gonzaga, and Purdue to rising stars such as Iowa and Baylor, each team brings its own flavor to the basketball tournament. As fans navigate the maze of moneyline odds, it becomes crucial to decipher the chances of potential upsets, especially when considering underdog teams like Marquette and Mississippi. Exploring these odds during the tournament, alongside the impact of the regular season, adds an extra layer of excitement to the betting experience, enticing enthusiasts to engage with online sportsbooks and strategic parlay options.

Qualifying Events Odds

Qualifying events leading up to March Madness are a pivotal aspect of understanding the broader NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament landscape. Teams from North Carolina to Arizona vie for their spot, with the likes of Indiana, Villanova, and Virginia showcasing their skills during these crucial matchups. Diving into the odds reading process, enthusiasts analyze the performances of contenders like Texas and UCLA during these qualifiers, shaping predictions for the grand event. Whether it’s the intense rivalry in New Jersey or the unexpected triumphs in Wisconsin, these events become key indicators of potential national champions, adding a strategic dimension to the art of predicting outcomes.

Reading March Madness Moneyline Odds

As the March Madness frenzy unfolds, understanding moneyline odds becomes paramount for bettors looking to capitalize on the tournament’s unpredictable nature. From the perennial powerhouse of North Carolina to the emerging force of Gonzaga, fans navigate through the odds maze to pinpoint potential upsets and underdog triumphs, such as those witnessed in New York or Iowa State. Exploring the moneyline odds for teams like Baylor, Florida, and Illinois adds depth to the betting experience, while strategic use of promos and online sportsbooks enhances the excitement. The pursuit of identifying the next national champion intensifies, making the March Madness moneyline odds an essential aspect of the thrilling basketball spectacle.

March Madness 2024 Teams

The 68 teams selected to compete in the 2024 NCAA March Madness tournament will be publicly announced on Selection Sunday, March 10, 2024. Once the selection committee finalizes the full list of automatic qualifiers and at-large bids, the tournament brackets will be revealed. We will publish the complete list of 2024 March Madness teams on this page and across our site as soon as they are officially released.

Types of March Madness Betting Lines

Given the almost impossible odds of picking a perfect March Madness bracket, you'll be much better off gambling on the NCAA tourney in the traditional sense. Here's the type of betting options you'll have:

March Madness Moneyline Betting

Moneyline is the simplest bet in the book. Here, you're simply picking the team that will win straight up. Each team will have March Madness odds to win (which we cover in the next section) so it's a 50-50 chance.

March Madness Spread Betting

The point spread March Madness is also concerned with which team will win, but this bet cares by how much points a team wins or loses by. That's because a "handicap" is added to the favorite and underdog.

The handicap is measured in points. Therefore, if you hear the spread is five points, it means the favorite needs to win by six or more to cover. Whereas the underdog can either win outright or lose by four or fewer points to cover their spread.

Let's say the game in the above example ends with the favorite winning by exactly five, then the bet is considered a "push." This effectively means it's a tie and all money is returned to bettors on both sides.

March Madness Over/Under Betting

Betting on how much points two teams will combine for is a favorite among bettors. Bookies pre-set a point figure and it's on players to choose "under" or "over" that sum. Like spreads, if the final point totally matches the over/under figure exactly, then the wager ends in a push.

March Madness Prop Betting

More or less, props are side bets on mini-outcomes within a March Madness game. Many deal with individual players — such as how many rebounds they'll grab by game's end, for example. But there's also team-specific props like how many turnovers they'll commit.

March Madness Point Future Betting

Futures bets are focused on long-term outcomes such as who'll win the national championship. Odds on winning March Madness are available almost year-round and it's the most popular bet type with bettors to make. Given how hard it is to pick the exact winner, futures are very high-risk, high-reward plays.

Understanding March Madness Betting Odds

If you've ever bet on any other sport before, you'll have no trouble with Vegas odds for March Madness. That's because they're carbon copies of one another. If you are versed in this, you can skip ahead. But for the unfamiliar players just getting into betting, here's how March Madness Vegas lines work:

By and large, most sportsbooks use the American odds system, as opposed to decimal or fractional lines. Odds like these are displayed as a whole number, with either a negative (-) or positive sign (+) attached to it. The symbol denotes whether one side is the favorite (minus sign) or the underdog (plus sign).

Moreover, the exact odds listed indicates just how much of a favorite or underdog one side is, which has consequences on the payout. Let's use an example to illustrate the point.

Say Syracuse and Kansas are meeting in the Sweet 16 round. If you're betting the moneyline, the Orange might have +175 odds. As the underdogs, bettors stand to make $175 for every $100 wagered on Syracuse if they do pull off the upset. In turn, the Jayhawks could have a -205 line. As the favorites, players earn a lesser payout if Kansas wins, which is only a $100 profit for every $205 wagered.

The above example applies to moneylines and futures betting. However, spreads, over/unders, and props are a little different. That's because most these lines will always be 110 going both ways.

More March Madness Resources

Before we let you go, we wanted to point out a few more March Madness-related guides. Browse through these if you can't get enough about the NCAA Tournament:

  • March Madness bracket predictions: As we've said, the NCAA Tournament is famously tough to predict, but that doesn't stop us from trying. In this article, we try to pick between all the bracket odds March Madness available.
  • March Madness favorites: March Madness offers the opportunity to bet on hundreds of teams, as they vye for the NCAAB title. As such, there are quite a few teams considered favorites. In order to give you a good idea of who those few top teams might be, our expects have put together a shortlist.
  • March Madness futuresA more in-depth look at futures betting in regard to the NCAA tournament.
  • March Madness locations: A revolving door of cities and arenas play host to the March Madness games. Find out whose turn it is this year.
  • March Madness tickets: Want to be at March Madness in-person AND still bet? Welp, it's certainly possible. Find out how to do so in this guide!

March Madness FAQs

Meet the author

Quinn Allen

Quinn Allen leverages his broadcast journalism degree and passion for sports in his betting previews and analysis. Based in Kelowna, Canada, he has emerged as an expert voice with picks featured on OSB, MTS, SBD, and as a ClutchPoints editor. With a lifelong fandom of...