March Madness spurs million in online sports betting

Roughly $160 billion will be wagered in the U.S. by the end of this year, with March Madness expected to be one of the most heavily bet sporting events in the country, said Jared Pincin, associate professor of Economics at Cedarville University.

“The way it’s talked about is that it’s ubiquitous,” he said. “You can’t turn on a sporting event without seeing not just advertisements for the different books…but also the discussion, even in the commentator’s booth, of point spreads or prop bets."

Prop bets (or proposition bets) are wagers on an individual player or specific event in a game, like a specific player’s number of receptions or baskets. Apps such as DraftKings, Fan Duel and emerging prediction markets such as Polymarket allow wagering to became fast, hyper-specific, and virtually frictionless. Today, the number of events that individuals can bet on is astronomical, Pincin said.

“You have entire shows dedicated on sports radio and sports television to gambling. This is so much different than you would see 10 years ago, even 30 years ago where it was a novelty…now it’s front and center," he said.

Ohioans spent roughly $10 billion on sports gambling in 2025, according to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, up from over $8.8 billion the previous year.

Ohio also has seen substantial tax revenue gains during that time, with the state collecting more than $1 billion in tax revenue since sports gambling was legalized.

Despite this, some lawmakers are calling for tighter restrictions on sports gambling. Gov. Mike DeWine last year called for a ban on prop bets, and in a January interview with Cleveland.com, called his signature on legalizing it the biggest mistake of his governorship.

Pincin argues that these scrambling conversations at the statehouse should have happened years ago.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

“If we could have rewound a few years ago and I was in front of the legislature in Ohio...I would caution against not having these guardrails for people. We’re kind of having this backward conversation,” he said. “Problem gambling…wasn’t even talked about when states were talking about legalizing it. All that was talked about was revenue."

Ohio’s problem gambling hotline fielded 9,460 individuals (between both phone and chat outreach) in 2025. Calls peaked in March - which also happens to be Problem Gambling Awareness Month - according to a report by the Casino Control Commission.

Online gamblers threatened University of Dayton basketball players after losing money on their games in 2023.

Sports gambling in particular is an appealing diversion for young men, though a growing number of women are also engaging in sports betting.

“Sports betting is inherently a risky proposition, and it’s linked to an activity that people like,” Pincin said. “Specifically men enjoy sports, I think it’s fair to say, more than women on the average. And then…95% of all wagering happens on a mobile device, so all of that together is a bad cocktail for risk."

Ohio law permits sports gaming through licensed operators of online sportsbooks and brick-and-mortar establishments. Certain liquor permit establishments also offer gambling through the Ohio sports gaming lottery.

Betting platforms maintain that they promote responsible gaming. DraftKings announced in January they were partnering with AI platform Mindway to promote more responsible gambling among its user base, including deposit limits and timeout options.

“At DraftKings, promoting informed decision-making to our customers is central to how we engage with them,” said Lori Kalani, Chief Responsible Gaming Officer with the company.

However, Pincin says, particularly for young people, it’s just not worth it.

“My summary is always: sports leagues are benefiting, obviously sports books are benefiting, states are benefiting to some extent, but who’s not benefiting is the actual betters,” he said.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

GAMBLING ADDICTION SUPPORT

The Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline:

The National Problem Gambling Helpline:

Locate problem gambling services in your area at gamblinghelpohio.org.

Gam-Anon is a peer support group for those who are or have been affected by someone else’s gambling. To learn more about Gam-Anon visit gam-anon.org.

Gamblers may take this confidential self-assessment quiz to help them understand if they may have a problem: pausebeforeyouplay.org/play-responsibly/rate-your-risk