March Madness is gripping the United States as millions of people bet on college basketball. In states like Iowa, gambling authorities expect to see records set when it comes to money wagered on sports in March.
The Racing and Gaming Administrator in the state, Brian Ohorilka was quoted in a radio interview saying that March 2021 was the highest month handle, with sports bettors wagering more than $161 million.
He believes that this number will be eclipsed this month since there are more licensed sports gambling companies operating in the market. Another reason why sports betting numbers will grow is that there is a lot of Iowa representation in post-season tournaments.
“Generally with more operators, it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll have increased revenue from last year at this time,” he said. “The other factor is we have success from the Iowa teams. When there are Iowa teams participating it will draw the more casual fan and increased traffic.”
The administrator told Radio Iowa that sports betting companies have set up responsible gambling features so that players can control their apps and set limits. He warned players not to get carried away during March Madness and reminded them that sports betting shouldn’t be any different to casino gambling – it should be fun, using discretional income and should be avoided if someone has a tendency towards addictive behavior.