March Madness is here! Selection Sunday is in the books and the bracket is set. The 68 top college basketball teams in the country will meet in an NCAA Tournament that will follow the traditional format ending with the Final Four played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. I added this page to help Minnesota and Wisconsin residents understand how to bet on March Madness online.
On this page I will outline the following:
- A brief breakdown of the sports betting regulatory climate in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
- Examples of the March Madness bets you can make on individual games and futures.
Where To Bet
Sports betting is not legal in Minnesota. Wisconsin only allows sports betting in person at tribal casinos, although a 2026 law will let the tribes offer online betting statewide once it launches. Where it is legal, you generally must be 21 or older and physically located in the state to place a bet.
Other options include prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, daily fantasy sports apps where they are available, and offshore sportsbooks, which accept US customers but are not licensed or regulated by any state. Our guide to sports betting in the USA breaks down every option.
Sports Betting in Minnesota and Wisconsin
At this time it is not legal to operate a sportsbook in Minnesota. There has been no notable movement towards sports betting regulation in the state, but Minnesota lawmakers seem interested in making a push towards regulated sports betting in 2026.
In Wisconsin, sports betting is currently only legal on Oneida Nation, Forest County Potawatomi Community, St. Croix Chippewa, or Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians land or properties. Online sports betting is only allowed on land of tribes that have negotiated sports betting into their state-compacts.
Minnesota and Wisconsin residents can also place bets through offshore sportsbooks that are licensed and regulated outside of the United States.
March Madness Betting Options
It is popular to both bet on individual games throughout the NCAA tournament, as well as March Madness futures wagers such as which team will win the entire tournament.
Individual Game Betting
You can bet on each individual game throughout March Madness. Here’s an example of the odds for a college basketball game. I will outline the three popular betting options you see in the screenshot below.
**These odds are from this years Wisconsin vs High Point first round game.
- Point Spread – In this example Wisconsin is a -10 point favorite. They must win the game by 11 or more points for a spread bet on Wisconsin to win. High Point must either win outright or lose by 9 or fewer points. If Wisconsin wins by exactly 10 points then the spread bets would push.
- Money Line – This is simply a bet on who will win the game. Wisconsin is the favorite at odds of -470, so you must wager $470 to win $100 betting on Wisconsin. A $100 bet on High Point would win $345 if they pulled off the upset.
- Over/Under – This is a bet on the total number of points scored in the game by both teams. The oddsmaker sets a total (164 in this example) and you bet on whether the total points will be over or under that amount.
Check out our basketball betting page for a more in depth explanation of these three bets.
March Madness Futures Betting
Popular futures bets for March Madness include Conference Tournament winners, NCAA Tournament winner, Region winners (advance to Final Four), etc.
*Odds accurate as of March 17th, 2026.
| Team | Seed | Sportsbook A | Sportsbook B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 1 | +375 | +360 |
| Arizona | 1 | +400 | +385 |
| Michigan | 1 | +360 | +375 |
| Florida | 1 | +850 | +700 |
| Houston | 2 | +1100 | +1100 |
| UConn | 2 | +3000 | +2500 |
| Iowa State | 2 | +1800 | +1600 |
| Purdue | 2 | +2000 | +2200 |
| Michigan State | 3 | +5500 | +6000 |
| Illinois | 3 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Gonzaga | 3 | +4500 | +4000 |
| Virginia | 3 | +10000 | +7500 |
| Nebraska | 4 | +15000 | +10000 |
| Alabama | 4 | +12500 | +8000 |
| Kansas | 4 | +6500 | +8000 |
| Arkansas | 4 | +6000 | +5000 |
| Vanderbilt | 5 | +7500 | +6600 |
| St. John’s | 5 | +7500 | +5000 |
| Texas Tech | 5 | +20000 | +10000 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | +10000 | +10000 |
As you can see Duke, Arizona, and Michigan are the tournament favorites. I only included the top 5 seeds from each region in the odds comparison table above. The odds will change throughout the tournament.
Bet On NCAA Tournament in Minnesota or Wisconsin
Here’s a quick walkthrough of getting from sign-up to your first bet.
Step 1. Decide Where To Bet
In Wisconsin, you can bet on March Madness in person at a tribal casino sportsbook until online betting launches. From Minnesota, where there are no licensed sportsbooks, prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket and daily fantasy apps are the main options for March Madness. Residents who travel can also bet while visiting Wisconsin or nearby Iowa.
Step 2. Open Your Account and Deposit
Registration takes a few minutes. You’ll confirm your age and location (21 or older at licensed sportsbooks in most states, 18 or older at most prediction markets), verify your identity, and then fund your account using one of the listed payment methods.
Step 3. Place Your Bets
Find the March Madness odds in the college basketball or NCAA Tournament section, select a market such as a game’s spread, money line or total, or a futures bet on the tournament winner, and enter how much you want to wager. The bet slip shows what you stand to win before you lock it in. Set a budget before you bet and stick to it. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER for free, confidential help.
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