How to Bet on March Madness: A Beginner's Guide to Betting on March Madness 2025

Betting on March Madness is very straightforward. You simply need to find a March Madness bet you like on sports betting sites and click or tap on it. Your selection will then appear on your betslip, and you can choose a bet amount, check your potential winnings and confirm the wager.

However, you must first sign up with an NCAA March Madness betting site or mobile app. It is also helpful to gain a detailed understanding of what the March Madness best bets entail.

This guide will teach you how to sign up with a March Madness betting site or mobile app, how to bet on March Madness games and how to bet on March Madness bracket futures.

The best NCAA March Madness 2025 betting sites and mobile apps make the registration process quick and simple. You can download a native mobile app via the iOS App Store on an iPhone or Google Play on an Android device.

However, you may find it a little quicker to register online before downloading the app. Just follow these steps:

1. Click the "BET NOW" next to one of the college basketball betting sites we have featured on this page. This will take you through to the site with the sign-up bonus you have qualified for. If a bonus code is required for the welcome bonus, it will be automatically applied to your account if you click the "BET NOW" link.
2. Click "Register" or "Join Now" or something similar to open the sportsbook's registration form. Provide your name, address, date of birth, phone number, email address and the last four digits of your SSN.
3. Create a password and choose a username. Agree to the privacy policy and the terms and conditions and complete the form.
4. Many sportsbooks for betting on March Madness 2025 will verify your identity and validate your account automatically. If the sportsbook cannot do so, you will be asked to provide some supporting documents, such as a recent bill or your scanned driver's license. When the account is approved, you can make a deposit to claim the welcome bonus and place your best March Madness bets.​
5. You can then browse the betting lines, college basketball futures and so on, and place your first wager on the NCAA March Madness Tournament.

1. BetMGM March Madness

BetMGM has highly competitive March Madness 2025 futures odds. You will also find a full array of betting markets and categories available throughout the tourney.

BetMGM is the best online sportsbook for betting on March Madness. First-time customers who sign up for the BetMGM bonus code ROTOSPORTS will land a First-Bet offer that will refund an opening wager loss up to $1,500 with equal bonus bet value.

BetMGM went all out in this area in recent tournaments, as it had a $10 million March Madness bracket betting contest. Expect another eye-opening promotion this year as well.

2. Caesars Sportsbook March Madness

Caesars Sportsbook does a very good job of providing competitive futures odds, so be sure to keep an eye on its offerings in this area for this year's March Madness tournament. It also has an expansive player prop betting selection in those states where collegiate prop betting is permitted.

Sign up for the Caesars Sportsbook promo code ROTODYW for a Bet $1, Get 10 100% profit boosts welcome offer.

3. DraftKings March Madness

DraftKings has long been among the best sports betting apps and this is certainly the case for those looking to bet on March Madness 2025. DraftKings is often one of the first online sportsbooks to release NCAA Tournament betting odds, yet those odds typically remain among the best on the respective boards.

New customers will receive a Bet $5, Get $150 in bonus bets instantly deal after signing up for the DraftKings promo code.

4. FanDuel March Madness

FanDuel is the largest online sportsbook in the country for many reasons, including themed promotions for events like March Madness and because it has some of the top rated sports betting apps.

The FanDuel promo code grants new customers a Bet $5, Get $200 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. 

5. Fanatics March Madness

Few sportsbook promos give you potential benefits over an extended span, but that is what you can get with the Fanatics Sportsbook promo code. This deal has a Bet $30, Get $300 in bonus bets offer in AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, LA, MA, MD, MI, NC, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA and WV, as well as a bet $1, get 10 days of No Sweat Bets up to $100 deal in other states.

6. bet365 March Madness

The bet365 bonus code grants first-time customers a Bet $5, Get $150 in bonus bets deal whether or not your opening wager settles as a win or a loss. Those who sign up for this offer in Pennsylvania will also get 50 spins at the bet365 online casino.

7. ESPN BET March Madness

The ESPN BET promo code ROTO gives new customers peace of mind when making their opening wager, as this deal gives those customers $100 in bonus bets after a first bet of $10 or more, win or lose.

We have reviewed every licensed March Madness betting app in detail, focusing on the NCAAB odds, betting options, the user experience, payout speeds, bonuses and other important details.

Our experts eventually decided that the seven sports betting apps listed above are the best on the market for betting on March Madness 2025. The chart below shows the average user rating each app has achieved on the App Store and Google Play.

March Madness is among the biggest annual events for sports betting apps. A quick Google search of how to bet on March Madness indicates that nearly $3 billion per year is wagered on this event, and that number could go higher in 2025.

That popularity is a main reason why the best online sportsbooks go all out in putting together introductory offers. These offers can include thousands of dollars of opening wager protection or bonus bets. One thing to keep in mind is that as long as you don't already have an account with these sites, you can sign up for as many sportsbook promos as you like and thus stack these benefits for your NCAA Tournament wagers.

We've detailed these offers below and sorted them by the online sportsbook offering them. These offers could change in the days leading up to March Madness (and possibly during it), so keep this page bookmarked, as we will be updating it if and when those changes occur.

The best sportsbooks offer a long list of betting options on every game throughout NCAA March Madness. These are the best March Madness bets to consider:

Moneyline

For rookie bettors seeking how to bet on March Madness, a moneyline is a straight bet on the team that will win a game during the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament.

The best sports betting sites will consider the strengths and weaknesses of both teams and then issue moneyline odds on them winning the game. There is normally a favorite and an underdog.

Point Spread

A point spread on an NCAAB game after the sportsbooks give the supposedly superior team (the moneyline favorite) a handicap. It allows them to offer similar March Madness odds on either team covering it.

Over/Under Totals

A March Madness betting site will offer a total points line on a game – such as 139.5 points – and you can bet on "over" or "under." All you need to do is predict how many points the two teams will combine for.

There are individual team totals too, along with alternate total points lines and totals for each half.

Futures

A futures bet is a long-term prediction that runs throughout the tournament. It does not concentrate on the outcome of a single game.

For example, you will find betting odds for March Madness on the winner of the tournament, and you may also be able to bet on how far a team will go or on the two teams that will reach the NCAA championship game.

Parlays

Parlay betting on March Madness requires you to combine predictions on two or more games. For example, you might bet on Arizona, Gonzaga and Iowa State all to cover the spread.

Each prediction must be correct for a March Madness parlay to succeed, but the payouts can be large if you nail it, as your profits compound within the wager.

Player Props

Player props are available on an individual athlete within a game. For example, you can bet over/under on the number of points, assists, rebounds, blocks or steals a player will record during a March Madness game.

Team Props

Team props on March Madness games are available in certain states. You can bet over/under on the number of points a team will score, the first team to a certain number of points and so on. 

In-Game Live Betting

In-game March Madness betting is available after the action gets underway. The sportsbooks continuously update the lines and odds throughout the game in line with the score, allowing you to keep betting until the closing stages.

This allows you to watch a game and make informed in-play betting decisions based on the evidence on the court.

The Auburn Tigers are the current NCAA Tournament futures favorite, weighing in at +325 odds at BetMGM. That reflects their status as the top team in the SEC, but ACC heavyweight Duke is not far behind at +350 odds.

Houston places third in this category at +750 odds. The SEC has another team near the top of this list in the Florida Gators, who have +800 odds.

Since upsets tend to happen before and during March Madness, don't count out the teams that are listed below these top four squads. That list includes Alabama,Tennessee, Iowa State, St. John's, Michigan State, Missouri and Arizona.

Legal online March Madness betting will be available in 30 states this year. Some restrict bettors from placing wagers on props, while others prohibit betting on games featuring teams based within the state. However, some form of March Madness 2025 betting is available in these states:

The volume of March Madness games means that it takes more than one network to televise these matchup. This year there will be four networks showing NCAA Tournament games when they start on March 18.

• CBS
• TBS
• TNT
• truTV

All four networks will show games throughout the rounds leading up to and including the Elite Eight. CBS takes over after that, as it has exclusive broadcasting rights for the Final Four and NCAA Championship game.

Since CBS content is also shown on Paramount+, subscribers of that service will be able to watch the CBS games through that portal. In addition, these stations can be viewed through streaming services such as fuboTV and YouTubeTV.

It is advantageous to register with a few of the March Madness betting sites we have featured, as you will then get several sign-up promotions. It will also allow you to get the most attractive betting lines and odds on all of your March Madness betting picks.

Click "BET NOW" next to any of the sportsbooks we have featured to redeem the best welcome bonus and start betting before the March Madness 2025 dates arrive.