TAMPA, Fla. — It’s that time of year when brackets get busted, and underdogs become top dogs.
Yes, you guessed it – March Madness is upon us! With sports betting now legal in Florida, the stakes have never been higher. It’s a full-court press as fans rush to place their bets on both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
March Madness has always been a slam dunk for sports fans, but this year, it’s not just the players scoring big.
With sports betting making its debut in the Sunshine State, Floridians are eager to get in on the action.
According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated 68 million Americans wagered on March Madness last year. Now that Florida is part of the sports betting lineup, that number is expected to soar.
"We got two local teams, Florida, and FAU. You know, its spans the whole country, we are all captivated by the storylines that come out of March Madness the next three weekends," said Jon Chapper, senior director of communications with Hard Rock Digital. "And you see that in terms of the betting action and how it continues to build.”
It’s not just about picking the winning team, it’s about picking the right odds. For many, this tournament is the perfect layup for their first legal bet.
The Hard Rock Sports Bet app says it's seen a huge increase in engagement since the conference championships last weekend with more people upping the ante and signing up for the platform.
From the tip-off to the final buzzer, fans hope their bets will rebound into big wins.
Chapper said with 75% of last year’s bettors saying it was their first time betting on March Madness, the sports book is expecting a huge rookie rush on the action.
“In the first weekend of the tournament, you always get the most interest," he said. "I think we are going to have a ton of betting Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Everybody’s got a team. Everybody’s got a dog in the fight."
It’s hard to pinpoint how big of a surge Hard Rock will see, since many people wait until right before tipoff before placing their wagers, according to Chapper.
Even with all the great underdog stories, he said all the top seeds are the most bet-on teams in the tourney.