New Hampshire Bettors Wagered More Than $25M During March Madness, Lottery Says

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire Lottery players made more than 550,000 wagers totaling more than $25 million on this year’s men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments, according to the lottery.

The tournaments began with conference play and continued through the NCAA brackets. Michigan won the men’s tournament, while UCLA won the women’s title.

“March is a special time of year for basketball, there’s nothing like these tournaments,” Charlie McIntyre, the executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said. “Dozens of games at all times of the day to kick off, buzzer beaters that send home tournament favorites, Cinderella runs from unassuming small schools, all culminating in two teams on the top of the mountain — and hopefully lots of wagers won by our New Hampshire players. With so many ways and opportunities to bet, March Madness is our largest sustained sports betting driver every single year. While I love watching as many games as I can, the best part of the tournaments is seeing all these wagers come in to support New Hampshire public education.”

Before the tournaments began, New Hampshire players heavily wagered on UConn, Florida, and Duke to win the men’s championship, according to the lottery. On the women’s side, the pre-tournament favorites among New Hampshire bettors were UConn, South Carolina, and UCLA.

The lottery said only one pre-tournament favorite for New Hampshire bettors won a title this year: the UCLA women. UCLA defeated South Carolina in a game oddsmakers had expected to be close. On the men’s side, Michigan won its first national title since 1989 in a championship game against UConn, which the lottery identified as New Hampshire’s betting favorite.

Sports betting has generated significant revenue for education since it launched in the state on Dec. 30, 2019, according to the lottery. Granite Staters have wagered nearly $4.5 billion, generating $187 million to support New Hampshire public education.

The lottery said New Hampshire residents can place wagers through the DraftKings Sportsbook app, the exclusive digital sportsbook operator in the state. The agency also said DraftKings offers responsible gaming tools, including My Stat Sheet, limit setting, cooling-off periods, and self-exclusion.

The New Hampshire Lottery said it has contributed more than $3 billion to education in the state since 1964. The commission, based in Concord, manages lottery operations in New Hampshire and regulates charitable gaming, simulcast racing, fantasy sports, and sports wagering.