Retail Sportsbooks Rushing To Open For March Madness Betting

• March Madness is causing states to push for final approval on sports betting.
• Michigan, Montana, and Illinois are all set to launch in time for NCAA Tournament betting.
• When these three states launch, 17 states will be offering legal sports betting.

DETROIT — With March Madness right around the corner, sportsbooks have been frantically trying to open and get things set up in time.

Michigan, Illinois and Montana were all approved to offer single-game sports betting in 2019 and are nearing the final stages of approval.

Betting On March Madness

The reason for the hard push is strictly due to March Madness.

It is the biggest betting event of the year as there is so much action in a short amount of time. A total of 67 college basketball games are played within three weeks, as the event is expected to bring in $10 billion for a betting handle.

Betting On Sparty And The Wolverines

In Michigan, the MGM Grand in Detroit has already set up two full rows of kiosks outside of their newly built sports betting lounge.

Michigan signed to legalize sports betting back in December of 2019. There will be a meeting held by the Gaming Control Board on March 10th to further discuss the matter and hopefully give Michigan sports betting the final approval.

Betting On The NCAA In Montana

Sports betting in Montana was made legal in May of 2019.

The state has an official launch date set on March 9th, days before March Madness begins.

Over 120 licenses have been granted to offer sports betting. After the official launch, they will also launch their Sports Bet Montana site where bettors can find everything there that they would find at the retail locations.

Illinois Tournament Betting

Sports betting in Illinois was legalized in June of 2019.

The Rivers Casino outside of Chicago has set up its Bet Rivers Bar with 30 kiosks, lounge chairs, and a video wall.

There has not yet been set a launch date but the goal is for it to be ready before March Madness.

With all of these states getting ready for the Big Dance, the total number of states with legal sports betting will increase to 17 when it is all said and done.

News tags: Illinois | March Madness | Michigan | Montana | NCAA Tournament