College basketball is set to take center stage in the American sports world this month with March Madness. The bracket contests and nearly endless betting opportunities make March Madness one of the best times of the year for sports fans and bettors.
Selection Sunday is in the books and the tournament bracket is set. It’s time to fill out brackets and start placing bets on the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
On this page I will recommend a couple betting sites for Texas residents, touch on the sports betting options in Texas, look at the different March Madness bets you can make online, and finish up with a simple 3 step guide you can follow to bet on March Madness from Texas.
Best Betting Sites for Texas Residents
- Built for American bettors
- Wide variety of competitive betting lines
- Easy to navigate betting platform
- Long history as a trusted sportsbook
Bovada and BetOnline are our two recommended betting sites for Texas residents looking to bet on March Madness. Both sites are popular and trusted among Americans and focused on providing a great betting experience for US residents.
For the rest of this guide I will be using Bovada.lv for all examples and guides.
March Madness Betting in Texas
At this time it is not legal to operate a sportsbook in the state of Texas.
That said, Texas residents are able to place bets through offshore betting sites that are licensed and regulated outside of the United States. Both Bovada and BetOnline fall into this category, which is why they have both served the USA betting market for over a decade.
Check out our Texas betting section for more information about the sports betting climate in the state.
Popular NCAA Tournament Bets
One of the most popular March Madness bets you can make is simply wagering on which team will win the NCAA Tournament. Let’s look at the futures odds for that first, and then get into some of the popular bets you can make on each individual March Madness game.
*Odds accurate as of March 17th, 2026.
| Team | Seed | Bovada | BetOnline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 1 | +325 | +375 |
| Michigan | 1 | +325 | +400 |
| Arizona | 1 | +375 | +360 |
| Florida | 1 | +700 | +700 |
| Houston | 2 | +950 | +1200 |
| Iowa State | 2 | +1800 | +1600 |
| Connecticut | 2 | +2000 | +2200 |
| Illinois | 3 | +2100 | +2200 |
| Purdue | 2 | +2500 | +2000 |
| Gonzaga | 3 | +4000 | +6600 |
| Michigan State | 3 | +5500 | +6000 |
| Arkansas | 4 | +6000 | +4000 |
| St. John’s | 5 | +6000 | +5000 |
| Kansas | 4 | +7000 | +6600 |
| Vanderbilt | 5 | +7500 | +7500 |
| Virginia | 3 | +7500 | +6600 |
| Wisconsin | 5 | +8000 | +10000 |
| Texas Tech | 5 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Louisville | 6 | +12500 | +12500 |
| Tennessee | 6 | +12500 | +12500 |
| Alabama | 4 | +15000 | +6600 |
| Nebraska | 4 | +15000 | +10000 |
These odds are from March 17th (after Selection Sunday, but before the First Four play-in games), and I included the 22 teams with a 150/1 or better chance to win the tournament at that time (according to the odds at Bovada.lv). These odds will change as the tournament progresses, so I suggest heading to Bovada.lv or BetOnline.ag to find the up to date odds.
There are three common bets that soak up the majority of action for college basketball games. Here’s a screenshot showing how the odds look for a typical NCAA game at Bovada (using the Texas A&M vs Saint Mary’s first round game from this year):
- Spread – The spread involves basically spotting the underdog a certain number of points in the game. In this example Saint Mary’s is a 3.5 point favorite, so for a spread bet on Saint Mary’s to win they would have to win by 4 or more points. Texas A&M is being spotted 3.5 points, so they must either win outright or lose by 3 or fewer points for a spread bet on Texas A&M to be a winner.
- Win – The win bet, also known as money line, is simply wagering on which team will win the game. The odds associated with each team determine the risk vs reward of the bet. In the above example you would have to wager $160 to win $100 betting on St. Mary’s, while a $100 bet on Texas A&M would win $135.
- Total – The total involves the number of points scored by both teams in the game. The oddsmaker will set a “total” and you can bet on whether the total points will be over or under that amount.
Bet On March Madness In Texas – 3 Step Guide
Follow these three steps to get your bets placed on March Madness online. I’m using Bovada as the featured sporsbook in this section, but the steps would be basically the same to place March Madness bets at BetOnline.ag.
Step 1. Join Bovada.lv
Click the above link and fill out the Create An Account form to open your account.
Step 2. Deposit
Log into your new account and click ‘Deposit’. Select your preferred deposit method and complete the instructions to fund your account.
Bovada accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, and Ethereum deposits. You can also cash out your winnings via check by mail or bank wire.
Step 3. Bet On March Madness
It’s time to place your bets.
- Click ‘Sports’ from the top menu bar.
- Select ‘March Madness’ from ‘Trending Events’ in the left sidebar, or select ‘Basketball’ from secondary sports menu and select ‘March Madness’ or ‘March Madness Futures’ from the Trending Competitions menu on the Basketball page.
- Select the bet(s) you want to make.
- Enter your risk amount on the Bet Slip.
- Click ‘Place Bets’ to lock in your wagers.
Here’s a screenshot from this years tournament showing you some of the clicks:
Ready to bet? Click here to visit Bovada.lv or here to visit BetOnline.ag.