Legal NCAA Basketball Betting

Legal college basketball betting sites are available in over two dozen states, including major markets like New York, Florida, and Michigan.

The NCAAB season kicks off with non-conference play in November, culminating with one of the most anticipated events in sports, March Madness. Over these five months, thousands of games are played, giving college hoops fans plenty of chances to satiate their appetites.

To help bettors find the best legal NCAAB betting options, BettingUSA has graded every major online sportsbook based on various criteria, including pricing, promotions, and betting menus. Find our definitive rankings in the following sections, accompanied by detailed information on where college hoops betting is legal, welcome packages for new users, and more.

Best NCAA Basketball Betting Apps

All betting sites recommended by BettingUSA are legal, licensed, and thoroughly vetted first-hand for quality. BettingUSA has used these sportsbooks extensively and recently reevaluated each for how it performs in college basketball betting specifically.

Our chief comparison points included the following for each operator:

• Betting odds value and vigorish
• College betting promos and bonuses
• Variety of wagering markets
• In-play betting lines and speed
• How far in advance each sportsbook posts lines on upcoming games
• Rewards programs for frequent bettors
• Additional features and tools
• Ease of navigation and overall user experience (UX)

DraftKings NCAA Basketball Betting

DraftKings Sportsbook boasts the most well-rounded NCAAB betting menu and is available in more states than nearly any other online sportsbook.

Standout features:

• Generous selection of NCAA Division I games (men and women), with spreads and totals posted over a day in advance
• Strong pregame moneyline prices
• Vast assortment of game, team, and player props, as well as in-game Flash Props
• Same Game Parlays are available for both pregame and in-game markets, with odds listed
• Stellar rewards programs
• Numerous paid and free-to-play March Madness bracket contests every Spring

DraftKings doesn’t score too many slam dunks, but there’s not a single category where it isn’t at least good. The pricing on main markets like spreads and totals is competitive, generally hovering around -110 on both sides, and the vigorish on pregame moneylines averages just 4%, which is better than industry norms.

DraftKings offers a wealth of alternative spreads and totals for every NCAAB game. It’s common to find 50+ alternative lines at decent odds and conveniently displayed on sliders.

One area where DK certainly excels is prop selection. Customers can wager on everything from player points, assists, and rebounds, to which team will score 10 points first and the exact final score. Bettors may also choose from an assortment of in-game Flash Props that allow them to wager on who will score next, the exact type of the next field goal, and other lightning-fast wagers.

The user interface was built to accommodate a vast selection of betting categories and shouldn’t confuse new bettors. Moving from mobile to desktop is a breeze because the interfaces virtually mimic one another.

Couple these strong points with DraftKings’ willingness to post early lines, the ability to place in-game Same Game Parlays, and its lucrative Dynasty Rewards loyalty program, and there isn’t much not to like about DraftKings Sportsbook’s NCAAB offering.

BetMGM NCAA Basketball Betting

Among mainstream online sportsbooks, BetMGM offers the best pricing on NCAAB wagers. This alone should entice bettors to give it a look.

Standout features:

• Superior pricing on spreads, moneylines, and some props and in-game wagers
• Lists odds for nearly every NCAA Division I game (Men’s and Women’s)
• Same Game Parlay builder, with dozens of available betting options
• Free-to-play promotional events
• BetMGM Rewards loyalty program

As stated, the main appeal of BetMGM is its NCAAB pricing, especially on pregame moneylines. The vigorish on these lines rarely exceeds 4.5% and often dips as low as 3.5%. In-game moneyline and spread pricing are equally exceptional, and these lines often deviate from those found at other college betting sportsbooks.

BetMGM supports a fair number of props, but the overall number pales compared to its fiercest competitors. That’s a shame because there’s significant value buried in the prop menus. Not every wager is a hit, but it’s not unheard of to find Yes/No props taxed at just 5%.

Casual bettors will likely enjoy the book’s Same Game Parlay Builder, which allows them to scrap together an SGP within seconds. The downside is that the odds for SGP lines are not listed, so bettors are flying somewhat blind. Also, the site doesn’t offer in-game SGPs or instant bets.

Another casual-friendly feature is BetMGM’s frequent free-to-play promos. Not only do these promos offer a fair bit of entertainment value, but they also reward generous prizes like odds boost tokens and bonus bets.

Finally, the sportsbook’s rewards program BetMGM Rewards is intimately tied to MGM’s land-based loyalty program, offering incentives for brick-and-mortar bettors to diversify their play.

BetMGM should seriously consider ramping up their NCAAB betting menus, but that complaint aside, it’s a solid option for value hunters.

FanDuel Sportsbook NCAA Basketball Betting

FanDuel Sportsbook is known for its large and varied betting menus, and its NCAAB betting lobby is no exception.

Standout features:

• A massive number of pregame and in-game betting categories, including Quick Bets
• Live Same Game Parlays
• Consistently solid pregame pricing
• Available in over 20 states

FanDuel deserves recognition among the best NCAAB betting sites because it offers more bets than nearly any other book without sacrificing navigational and server speed. Sifting through categories is a breeze thanks to the stellar UI design, enabling fans to find obscure props like which team will reach 50 points first or if 4+ threes will be scored in the first four minutes within seconds.

The sportsbook doesn’t offer instant bets but partially compensates with Quick Bets, which allow bettors to bet on outcomes that will be settled within the first few minutes of the game. Beyond that, FanDuel supports a vast number of pregame and in-game Same Game Parlay options, with odds listed.

The only betting category where FanDuel falls short is alternative lines. Except to find just 6-12 alt spreads and totals per game.

Pregame odds are fair, with spreads and totals offered at industry standard prices (-110). The vigorish on moneylines hovers between 4-4.5%, and Yes/No props generally receive fairer treatment than on competing sites. For instance, player point props are usually listed at -113/-113, slightly better than the -115/-115 bettors have come to expect.

On the flip side, FanDuel isn’t the most hospitable environment for in-game NCAAB bettors. While it does support large live betting menus, the vigorish on these wagers skews high.

Like most online sportsbooks, FanDuel has cut its NCAAB promotional spend. However, bettors will still frequently find odds boosts and parlay boost builders.

Fanatics Sportsbook NCAA Basketball Betting

Fanatics Sportsbook launched with a surprisingly strong NCAAB product that’s user-friendly and stocked with competitively priced wagering options.

Standout features:

• Posts lines for every major NCAA Men’s Division I basketball game
• Competitive pricing nearly across the board
• A wide assortment of available wagers, spanning pregame and in-game
• Available in more than a dozen states
• Straightforward loyalty program

The Fanatics app has an ultra-modern feel that will resonate with younger bettors. Wagers are neatly categorized into digestible categories, and menu load times are nearly nonexistent. After tipoff, game menus expand to include an array of useful in-game stats, updated in near real-time.

Each pregame NCAAB market supports a variety of wagers, running the gamut from moneylines to team props, game props, derivates, and a wealth of alternative spreads and totals. Same Game Parlays are available pregame and in-game, while bettors looking for quick plays have at least a few instant betting options (Lightning Bets).

However, Fanatics still needs to add more player props and futures to truly contend with the online sports betting industry’s biggest players. Fanatics should also look into posting earlier lines.

As for pricing, Fanatics does enough to keep value hunters happy. Popular wagers like spreads, totals, and moneylines are taxed at approximately 4-4.5%. That’s par for the course. In-game pricing is also fairly standard. However, Fanatics outdoes its competitors when it comes to Yes/No prop prices.

Further value can be found via Power Hours which award a variety of bonus bets and boosts. Coupled with the app’s straightforward yet rewarding loyalty program, it’s little wonder why NCAAB fans are starting to notice Fanatics.

Bet365 NCAA Basketball Betting

Bet365 Sportsbook may not be the most lavish or user-friendly app, but bettors willing to do some digging will find one of the industry’s best-kept secrets.

Standout features:

• Among the first sportsbooks to post NCAAB lines
• Dozens of betting categories for popular Division I games
• Frequent odds boosts
• Pregame and in-game Same Game Parlays, as well as instant bets
• Old-school Parlay Cards and Teaser Cards

As one of the world’s most experienced online sports betting providers, Bet365 has the confidence to post early NCAAB lines. This is extremely beneficial to bettors because they can browse lines before they’re hammered into efficiency.

Moreover, Bet365 goes all-in on player props, at least for popular games. Bettors can place over/under bets on player points, assists, rebounds, and threes made, alongside options to wager on player milestones, like “Player X scoring at least 15 points.”

Popular team and game props are given ample coverage, as are derivative and alternative lines. Furthermore, Bet365 boasts one of the largest pregame and in-game Same Game Parlay menus of any online sportsbook. Equally impressive are its live Flash Bets, which enable action seekers to wager on the team to score next, the next field goal method, and more.

Another area where Bet365 excels is its in-game moneyline pricing. The average vigorish on these wagers is approximately 1% less than competing books. Most of the app’s other lines aren’t too shabby either.

Finally, Bet365 doesn’t shy away from potentially lucrative odds boosts, offered for nearly every high-profile NCAAB game. If only the app weren’t so drab and unwieldy and there was a dedicated loyalty program, Bet365 could move even further in the rankings.

College Basketball Betting Bonuses

NCAAB betting sites offer new bettors generous bonus opportunities. It’s just up to them to take the easy layup.

Sportsbook welcome bonuses come in a few different flavors, and vary in quality. The best bonuses provide bettors with significant value without forcing them to incur big risks. Some are targeted toward fans with larger bankrolls, while others are more budget-friendly but have a lower upside.

Here’s a glance at the most prevalent welcome bonus offers:

• Second Chance NCAAB Bets: This promotional type awards new customers who lose their first real-money wager with a full refund, up to a certain amount. Second chance bet bonuses are paid out as either a site credit, or a bonus bet. The later is less rewarding, because bonus bets only return the winnings and not the initial stake.
• NCAAB Bet & Get Bonuses: Bet & Gets are quickly becoming the preferred welcome bonus among online sportsbooks. Bettors that place their first wager are given bonus bets for use on subsequent bets. The beauty of these bonuses is that the upfront investment is usually only $5 and the return is up to $150 in bonuses. That’s a significant ROI, but the upside is lower compared with second chance bonuses.
• NCAA Basketball Bonus Bets: These are similar to second chance offers but better because bettors receive bonus bets regardless of whether their first wager wins or loses. Like second chance bets, the bonus amount is equal to the amount of a bettor’s first wager, capped up to a certain amount (usually $500 – $1,000).
• College Basketball Deposit Bonuses: Deposit match bonuses are offered primarily by online casino sites, but a few sportsbooks utilize them. Bettors will have a percentage of their first deposit matched and must meet a wagering requirement before withdrawing the funds. For instance, a 20% match up to $1,000 with a 10x wagering requirement awards a $1,000 bonus on $5,000 deposits, but bettors must wager $10,000 ($1,000 bonus x 10) to convert the bonus to cash.

NCAA Basketball Betting Promotions

Promotional lobbies are sparser now then a few years ago, but there’s still ample opportunity to generate value through recurrent promotions and boosts.

These promos are generally smaller in scale than welcome bonuses and may restrict users from making certain types of wagers. However, partaking in them usually doesn’t require a large upfront investment, with some NCAAB betting apps even offering free-to-play promos.

Expect to see the following promo formats on NCAA basketball apps:

• NCAAB Odds Boosts: Sportsbooks will boost the odds on select NCAAB bets, usually parlays. For instance, a 3-leg parlay with listed odds of +250 might be boosted to +300. Some books offer Happy Hours when bettors can claim especially generous boosts.
• NCAAB Profit Boosts: A profit boost is similar to an odds boost, but not as confining. Like odds boosts, profit boosts improve a wager’s odds. For instance, a 20% profit boost at +200 odds effectively moves the line to +240. Profit boosts can be used on any bet within a specific category, making them more flexible than odds boosts.
• Parlay Insurance: Bettors who love the allure of parlays but hate the swings should take advantage of parlay insurance promos. Typically, how these work is that bettors place a 3+ leg parlay, and if just one leg loses they receive a full or partial refund as a bonus bet.
• Bet & Get: These are similar to Bet & Get welcome bonuses, but much smaller. Bettors will wager $10 – $50 on NCAAB games to receive a small $5 or $10 bonus.
• Bracket Promotions: No NCAAB promo calendar would be complete without at least one bracket promotion. Just as they would for their office pools, bettors predict the winners of all 67 games, and those who pick the most winners are awarded prizes ranging from cash to bonus bets. These promos are often free-to-play.

States With Legal NCAAB Betting

The following map illustrates where NCAA basketball betting is currently legal. Note that the quality and quantity of sports betting options varied wildly by state.

Click or tap on any state for detailed information about local laws and licensed sportsbooks.

Map Key

• Blue: It is legal to bet on college games online
• Green: State is home to retail sportsbooks that accept wagers on NCAA games
• Red: Sports betting is legal but college betting is prohibited

What To Look For In NCAA Basketball Betting Sites

In 2018, the Supreme Court’s decision to rescind PASPA cleared the way for the largest casino operators and other well-known gaming brands to launch legal mobile sports betting apps.

Since sports betting in the U.S. is regulated state-by-state, legal options were initially quite scarce, with only eight states enacting sports betting legislation in 2018. Legislative efforts have since accelerated, and today over 30 states offer some form of legal NCAA basketball wagering.

First, bettors should always choose legal and licensed apps. The benefits of legal apps over their unregulated, offshore counterparts are numerous, encompassing increased security standards, various consumer protections, responsible gambling protocols, and thorough vetting for fairness.

Thus, bettors who choose legal NCAAB wagering apps over illegal sportsbooks already have a distinct advantage over those who lock up their funds on shady sites.

To find out which betting apps are legal in your states, you can either:

• Visit BettingUSA’s state betting pages, which detail the best sportsbooks available in each state. BettingUSA recommends legal sportsbooks exclusively.
• Go to your state’s gaming commission website or its lottery site, depending on which regulatory body governs sports betting. There you should be able to find a list of legal sportsbooks. For instance, the New York State Gaming Commission lists operational sportsbooks on this page.

With all this being said, legal sportsbooks vary quite wildly in quality, and some cater to specific demographics better than others. Before locking in your first NCAA basketball bet, consider these other factors:

NCABB Betting Odds

Over the short term, bettors will hardly notice the impact of placing college hoops wagers at suboptimal betting odds. Extended over a season, the difference between smart and random betting is staggering.

Although the odds on legal NCAAB sportsbooks don’t deviate too much from Vegas lines, there’s a big enough difference that bettors should study which books offer the fairest shake. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect science, as lines change frequently, and some books offer better odds for props, while others may post strong in-game lines, but weak pregame moneylines.

Tip: Signing up for multiple sportsbooks and line shopping is the first step in trimming the house edge.

To start, find the books that offer the best lines on the NCAAB wagers you make the most.

The Number of NCAAB Betting Options

Due to technological advances, online sportsbooks can handle hundreds of individual NCAAB wagers per game, but some aren’t willing.

The best NCAA basketball books offer a vast assortment of pregame player props, alternative lines, and derivatives, and they’ll do this for both Top 25 matchups and non-conference games.

Tip: The more props a sportsbook offers, the better the chances of finding value.

Furthermore, sportsbooks are now expected to offer a compelling in-game product. At a minimum, bettors should be permitted to place live wagers on spreads, totals, and moneylines. Industry leaders go a step further, offering bettors the option to place in-game prop bets, Same Game Parlays, and instant bets, which are wagers on outcomes that will resolve in minutes if not seconds.

Promotions and Loyalty Programs

When legal online sportsbooks first launched they aggressively pursued market share. In turn, bettors couldn’t claim sportsbook promotional offers fast enough. Those days have unfortunately passed, but most college basketball betting sites still offer generous welcome bonuses for new customers and at least a few recurrent promotions.

When gauging how good a book’s NCAAB promotions are, judge them primarily on quality rather than quantity. A book that offers tons of lousy promotions should score a lower grade on your internal spreadsheet than one that rolls out the occasional but lucrative odds boost or bonus bet.

Tip: The best NCAAB promos won’t force you to place high-house edge wagers, like 4+ leg Same Game Parlays.

Going further, sportsbooks that have built a rewards infrastructure, even a lackluster one, provide bettors with far more value than operators that don’t offer loyalty kickbacks. High-quality sportsbook loyalty programs:

• Allow bettors to recoup upwards of 30% of their losses
• Provide customized support to VIPs
• Have ties to brick-and-mortar casino and sportsbook rewards

Early NCAAB Betting Lines

Casual bettors looking to up their game should seek out NCAAB betting sites that post their lines early.

Typically, NCAAB spreads, totals, and moneylines go up somewhere between a day in advance to the morning of game day, with props and other bets trickling in after.

That might seem like a tight range, but with the pace at which information is shared in the sports betting world, it might as well be an eternity.

Early lines haven’t been hammered by sharps and are less efficient. Therefore, bettors with access to them are at a potentially huge advantage, assuming they’ve done their homework. Will savvy bettors be able to place large wagers on early lines? No, probably not, but the best online sportsbooks will at least give them action.

Banking Options

An online sportsbook can offer every innovative feature in the world, but it’s all for nothing if bettors don’t have viable and convenient ways to deposit and withdraw funds.

Luckily, cashiering is much easier on legal and licensed U.S. sportsbooks than offshore sites, but some legal sites still do a better job than others.

Most sites allow bettors to deposit with a linked checking account via a dedicated service like VIP Preferred. Others go a step further and accept PayPal, prepaid card transactions via Play+, and Venmo, and will honor credit/debit card deposits from eligible issuing banks.

Some states enable cash-in-hand transactions like PayNearMe and/or deposits at land-based casino cages.

Deposits are usually processed instantaneously, and the best NCAAB betting sites ensure that withdrawals are handled just as quickly. Preference sites that offer instant ACH and PayPal payments, and be wary of sportsbooks that allow easily reversed withdrawals.

Desktop and Mobile App Software

Given the relatively young age of the legal U.S. sports betting industry, NCAAB betting sites should be designed with newer customers in mind.

Sportsbook apps designed to run smoothly, look modern, and include an assortment of smart sorting and filtering options should be your first picks. In addition, the app must boast fast loading times. Lag is unacceptable when placing in-game bets, especially for basketball games, where odds fluctuate rapidly. Live bettors who encounter too many spinning wheels should take their business elsewhere.

Give additional points to college basketball betting apps that provide sliders for alternative lines, well-categorized prop menus, and quick parlay builders.

Generally speaking, most NCAAB sportsbooks are accessible on desktop and via iOS- and Android-powered devices. A few have yet to launch on all platforms, which is mind-boggling.

Signing Up For College Basketball Betting Sites

The sign-up process for NCAAB basketball varies slightly from book to book, but generally looks something like this:

1. Download the app from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (Apple), or via a direct link from the sportsbook’s mobile website. Desktop users can bypass this step.
2. Click or tap “Sign Up” and enter a valid email address and password combination.
3. Enter personal details: Full name, DOB, phone number, address, and the last four digits of your SSN. This information is necessary for identity verification purposes.
4. Agree to the Terms of Service
5. At this point, the app will attempt to verify your identity and may ask you to confirm your email or phone number via an authentication code.

It’s important to know that you do not have to hold residence in a state with legal sports betting. However, before placing real-money wagers, an app’s geolocation technology must detect that you’re physically located in a state where online sports betting is legal and licensed.

Bettors do not have to enter their financial information at sign-up, but most welcome bonus terms require an initial deposit.

How To Bet On NCAA Basketball: Before The Game

Bettors new to NCAAB wagering should probably stick to pregame betting, as the frenetic pace of college hoops can overwhelm inexperienced live bettors.

Here are the basic wagers you can make:

• Moneyline: A beginner-friendly wager on the outright winner of a game. A moneyline underdog is listed at positive (+) American odds, and the favorite at negative (-) odds.
• Point spread: Point spreads in NCAAB act as an equalizer, with the underdog given points while the favorite lays points. For instance, if a team is listed at +3.5, a point spread wager will win if the team wins outright or loses by less than 4. Adding a spread converts the wager into a virtual coin flip, hence the -110/-110 odds.
• Total: A 50/50 wager on whether the teams will combine for more or less than the proposed number of points. Totals are also known as over/unders.
• Prop bets: These wagers mostly encompass bets that aren’t directly related to a game’s outcome. For NCAAB games, prop bets are categorized into player, team, and game props. Common examples of player props include over/unders on how many points, rebounds, or assists a player will record. Predicting how many points a team will score is a classic example of a team prop.
• Alternative lines: Some books offer bettors the option to bet on alternative spreads and totals. As an example, if Georgia Tech is a 4.5 favorite, then bettors may be able to take them anywhere between -10.5 through +1.5, in half-point increments. The downside is that alt. lines are often subject to higher vigorish than main lines.
• Derivatives: Instead of placing full-game wagers, bettors place bets on outcomes that will conclude after the 1st quarter or 1st half.
• Futures: Sports betting’s equivalent of a long-term investment, futures are wagers on events that won’t resolve until somewhere down the road. A classic example of an NCAAB future is betting on who will win the NCAA Men’s Tournament.
• Parlays: This screamingly popular betting format is a series of strung-together wagers. Each bet is referred to as “a leg” of the parlay. For example, a 3-leg parlay consists of three distinct wagers and only wins if every leg hits. It’s easy to see the allure of these high-risk, high-reward wagers, and they’ve become so popular that sportsbooks base most of their promos around them and their cousin, the Same Game Parlay.
• Teasers: Basketball is one of the few sports that support teasers. A teaser is a parlay of spreads and/or totals, and for each parlay leg, the bettor is given X number of points, making the outcome far more likely. Unlike parlays, teasers are usually paid at fixed odds. For instance, a 3-leg 4-point teaser on DraftKings is always listed at +170 odds.

In-Play NCAAB Betting

Whereas pregame wagering is relaxed, controlled, and non-volatile, in-game wagering is anything but.

On paper, live betting doesn’t appear all that much different. The betting menus are vastly similar, and many of the same betting options, like parlays and Same Game Parlays, are usually permitted.

The big difference is that once the first possession occurs, the odds change dynamically in response to every single possession. In an extremely fast paced game like college hoops, this results in dramatic odds swings. It also opens up new betting possibilities, such as instant bets, which allows bettors to place extremely granular wagers like whether the next field goal will be a 2- or 3-pointer, or which team will score next.

In general, the best NCAAB betting sites offer a strong live betting platform. Some factors to examine include:

• In-play betting odds: Pregame odds are far more efficient than in-play lines, so books tend to offset this uncertainty by juicing the lines. Preference books that only modestly inflate the odds. Be especially wary of instant bet odds, which are often juiced up considerably.
• Betting options: While some books offer nearly as many live betting options as pregame, others take a more conservative approach. Seek out books that are unafraid to post in-game alternative lines and props.
• Lockouts: One area where there is a fairly big disparity among sportsbooks is in-game lockouts. To clarify, books will often pause in-game betting to allow their algorithms to readjust. This is understandable, but some operators are too conservative and quick to reject bets at listed odds. If your odds screen is riddled with lockouts, and you find it extremely difficult to avoid spinning wheels, it may be time to look for another in-game sportsbook.
• Stats: Some bettors enjoy following the game from the sportsbook. The best NCAAB betting sites provide them with advanced stats and play-by-play updates.

Betting On March Madness

The stakes of NCAA Basketball games continually ramp up throughout the season, starting with non-conference play, then graduating to compelling conference games, and conference tournaments.

The culmination of the season arrives on Selection Sunday, which acts as the unofficial kickoff to NCAA March Madness. Then, 68 teams are seeded in the Men’s NCAA Tournament, thus beginning the single biggest betting extravaganza of the year.

March Madness typically begins in late March and continues through early April. For instance, in 2024, Selection Sunday is on March 17, the play-in round starts March 19, and the NCAA Championship game is played on April 8th.

Coinciding with the Men’s Tournament are both the Women’s NCAA Tournament and the NIT, which consists of teams not quite good enough to make the Big Dance.

Let it be known that there is no better time for college hoops fans to generate value on online sportsbooks than during March Madness. Expect an abundance of daily and touranment-long promos, spanning giveaways, bracket challenges, and much more.

Bettors can keep up-to-date on the latest developments from BettingUSA’s March Madness betting page.

NCAA Basketball Betting Restrictions

Due to concerns regarding corruption, many states have included language in their sports betting bills restricting how bettors can wager on NCAAB games.

These provisions vary wildly, from outright bans on college betting in Oregon, to almost complete leniency.

Learn more about NCAA betting rules in your state.

NCAA Basketball Betting FAQ