I’m lounging in my comfy slippers with my 6-month-old happily squirming in my lap. I’m checking out the score of the Baylor vs. North Carolina game on March 19. North Carolina is leading by 20 points with roughly 10 minutes remaining in the second half. Currently, BetMGM is offering -110 odds of Baylor +11.5.
I tell the baby, there’s absolutely no possibility that the reigning March Madness champions will suffer such a tremendous defeat.
Undeniably, they’re not performing at their 2021 levels, but they’re certainly not this subpar either, and pride alone will spur them to rally. So, I confidently place $8 on that prediction. As predicted, Baylor forces the game into overtime, losing by a mere 7 points, and just like that, I find myself richer by the cost of a latte and a scone.
In my case from Michigan, this is the wonder of March Madness in the new age of sports betting through mobile apps.
Not a fan of March Madness betting at Vegas sportsbooks
I wouldn’t be able to name a Tar Heel or a Bear. It’s unlikely I would place a bet on such a game before it begins, as I lack the necessary knowledge and have little interest in doing the required speculative research.
Now that I have the opportunity to observe the teams compete against each other for a significant part of the game, I can understand the likely outcomes better. This enables me to place more informed bets that have immediate consequences.
Last week, my coworker Andrew Champagne shared a travel story about his yearly trip to Las Vegas with his father for March Madness. It’s great that he had an incredible time, but I would honestly prefer to be attacked by furious ravens.
During my 15-year residency in Vegas, the thought of visiting a sportsbook to watch the flood of basketball games involving unknown school teams this month never crossed my mind unless I was on a task.
I’ve attended the Super Bowl. I’ve also watched a critical game involving my old school, Northwestern, which wasn’t televised locally before the era of streaming. So, I’ve definitely done that.
But when it comes to March Madness? This specific event has traditionally turned Vegas sportsbooks into a disorderly playground for Spring Break revelers. Am I really going to risk getting splashed with the remnants of a foot-long, Eiffel Tower-shaped margarita while attempting to comprehend multiple games happening simultaneously? I simply don’t despise myself to that extent.
Sports betting revolutionized by mobile apps
Naturally, the sports gambling world has undergone a revolution since I left Vegas in 2011, largely due to the advent of mobile apps. These apps can be used anywhere within Nevada’s boundaries, or even in other jurisdictions where it’s legal, not just at the casinos. This is a more recent development.
In 2021, a dozen casino apps were launched in Michigan. My main interest, however, was in the legal online poker games these apps offered, which finally eliminated the need for me to pay exorbitant credit card or cryptocurrency fees to fund my accounts.
More flexible March Madness betting options
This year, however, I came to value the adaptability of sports betting through apps and how seamlessly it integrates with events such as March Madness, particularly during the first four days with several games happening at once. Instead of making substantial pre-game wagers, which I felt compelled to do at live sportsbooks, I was able to engage with smaller sums to liven up games that were becoming mundane.
For example, the second-round match between Providence and Richmond on March 19 was extremely one-sided and predictable. However, in my living room, I placed a bet on Providence -15.5 with +100 odds towards the end of the first half. The Friars, as I just had to look up their mascot, defeated the Spiders, which is Richmond’s mascot I also just found out, by 28 points. This illustrates how limited my knowledge was about both these teams.
Furthermore, occasionally the odds may not accurately reflect the game’s progress, resulting in exceptional deals being available.
For example, during the Arizona-TCU game on March 20, at some point in the second half, Arizona’s moneyline on BetMGM was +185 to win. I can’t recall the exact moment I noticed that, but was top-seeded Arizona ever significantly behind for such odds to be justified? I regret not wagering more than $2 on that particular bet. The game resulted in an 85-80 overtime victory for Arizona.
Similarly, during the second half of the Texas Tech vs Notre Dame game that day, the sportsbook had Texas Tech, the No. 3 seed, at +190 over Notre Dame, the No. 11 seed. The Red Raiders clinched victory with a score of 59-53. I managed to turn $10 into $29 from that game.
Betting whatever you want whenever you want
Another cool aspect of placing bets anytime you like during a live event is the chance to wager without betting against your own team. For instance, I wasn’t confident that Michigan would triumph over Tennessee in the second round (although they did, #GoBlue), but I didn’t want to make a profit from their loss either. So, I took the -120 odds for Under 148.5 points. The total points were 144. So, that’s a win.
In all honesty, there were several occasions when my intuition let me down. I was confident that Auburn would make a sufficient comeback to make betting on Auburn +4.5 with -110 odds against Miami on March 20 a wise choice. However, the No. 2 seed was defeated by the No. 10 seed by 18 points.
The production of points in the Michigan State versus Duke game that day appeared to be sluggish in the latter part of the second half. Therefore, I bet with odds of -110 that the total points would be less than 158.5; however, the game concluded with a total of 161 points.
As I pen this on Sunday, March 27, I’ve spent considerable time observing a stellar Kansas team dismantling the surprisingly successful Miami Hurricanes. From this, I can confidently say that the odds of -155 for Kansas -18.5 are a fairly secure means of earning some extra cash.
So, I leave with $7 when the score was 65-46.
The final score is 76-50, and I have renewed my Apple TV+ subscription for another month.