Historically, March Madness is the biggest and most profitable event for sportsbooks. With sports gambling now legalized in 16 states, many gambling operators were expecting another lucrative month of action. That is of course until the coronavirus forced the NCAA to cancel the men's and women's college basketball championship and the NBA and NHL to suspend their seasons. Bill Enright spoke with William Hill U.S. CEO Joe Asher about the impact COVID-19 is having on the world of sports gambling.
In 2019 there were approximately $8.5 billion in total wagers placed on March Madness, with bets coming from about 47 million Americans.