LAS VEGAS — LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a men’s NCAA Tournament in which upsets were unusual and a women’s field sans Caitlin Clark, betting nevertheless was up on both sides this year at BetMGM Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook.
BetMGM saw an 18% increase on a men’s side in which all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four for the first time since 2008. That made for three competitive games Saturday and Monday that culminated in Florida’s heart-pounding 65-63 victory over Houston for the Gators’ third championship. They went back-to-back in 2006-07.
Plenty of fans put their money on the Gators, who were second to Duke at BetMGM in terms of money bet and number of tickets. The Blue Devils, like Houston in the title game, lost a double-digit lead to the Cougars in the semifinals and fell 70-67.
“Duke losing was key, as 30 of the 50 largest futures wagers on the champion were on Duke,” BetMGM trading manager Seamus Magee said. “Florida had the second-highest handle, so many fans were happy to see the Gators chomping down the nets.”
Caesars college basketball head Rich Zanco called betting at his sportsbook “robust.”
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“All No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four aided in that, and there were intriguing matchups throughout the tournament,” Zanco said. “For example, Rick Pitino and St. John’s versus John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The tournament didn’t provide many glaring upsets as in years past, but sometimes the cream rises to the top.”
There wasn’t as much drama in the women’s Final Four, though the only No. 2 seed among the eight in both fields emerged victorious. UConn rolled to a 82-59 victory over defending champion South Carolina for the Huskies’ 12th national title but first since 2016.
The Huskies were led by star Paige Bueckers, who along with Southern California’s JuJu Watkins became the faces of women’s college basketball this season, following in the path of Clark and Angel Reese, who are now starring in the WNBA.
Betting on the women’s side was up 10% this season at BetMGM.
The highest percentage of tickets were on the Huskies, who were second in terms of money bet.
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“This season, we saw the lasting impact of Caitlin Clark driving significant interest in sports betting on women’s college basketball,” BetMGM sports trader Hannah Luther said. ”Some presumed that with its biggest star departing for the pros, the numbers might decline this season. The opposite turned out to be true … .”
Zanco agreed.
“The Caitlin Clark effect carried over to this year and will continue to do so,” he said.
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