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March Madness Sparks Surge in Sports Betting Trends

3/19/2026

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Summary

Story summary

March Madness is driving increased sports gambling across America as bettors wager on tournament games.
Johnny Avello, an odds-maker, notes that 12-seeds have a .410 winning percentage against 5-seeds since 2008.
Trends show lower-seed spreads are shrinking, signaling potential upsets.
For example, No. 12 Akron's spread against No. 5 Texas Tech has fallen from 9.5 to 7.5 points.

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Story summary

March Madness is driving increased sports gambling across America as bettors wager on tournament games.
Johnny Avello, an odds-maker, notes that 12-seeds have a .410 winning percentage against 5-seeds since 2008.
Trends show lower-seed spreads are shrinking, signaling potential upsets.
For example, No. 12 Akron's spread against No. 5 Texas Tech has fallen from 9.5 to 7.5 points.