Whether it's with Proline or sportsbooks, March Madness betting is a slam dunk. (Photo credit: ChadCooperPhotos / Foter / CC BY)
Outside of the NHL playoffs, there might be no more fun time for us Canadian sports bettors than when we make our March Madness picks.
Sixty-four (well, 68 now, since the NCAA tournament expanded a few years ago to include four “play-in” games) will battle for men’s college basketball supremacy each spring. Buzzer beaters, Cinderella stories and the desperation of win or go home – and betting on it allows you to be part of the exciting action.
Proline and online sportsbooks both offer Canadians the chance to get into the game with their March Madness predictions.
Here’s what both Proline and sportsbooks will offer for March Madness odds on this year’s NCAA tournament.
PROLINE
Proline March Madness odds are limited, but they might be enough to satisfy your needs if you’re just looking for a little action.
1. V+/V/T/H/H+
With Proline, you can bet on five different outcomes for the game. You can take the Visitor + or the Home +, where either the visiting team or home team (depending on who you picked) has to win the basketball game by 11 points or more. You can take the Visitor or the Home option, where either the visiting team or home team needs to win by six points or more. Or you can take the Tie option, where you win if the game is decided by five points or less — regardless of who wins the actual game.
Close games are often the norm in college basketball, so the tie can be a tempting option. Don’t forget, however, that many teams intentionally foul in the final minute in an effort to come back. It can be frustrating to see all the free throws turn a one-point game into a six-point final and ruin your Proline March Madness picks ticket that had a tie on it.
And remember that Proline requires you to combine at least three outcomes onto one ticket. If one of your picks loses, your ticket is garbage.
2. Point spread
The provincial sports lottery will also offer point spread betting on the tournament games. This is much more simple than Proline.
If Team A is favoured by 3.5 points, they need to win the game by four or more points to “cover” the spread. If Team B is underdogged by 3.5 points, they can lose the game by up to three points (or win the game outright) and still cover the spread.
Like Proline, you’ll need to pick at least three outcomes on one ticket and get them all correct in order to get paid.
3. Pro Picks
One other option for Proline March Madness odds is the Pro Picks pools. With Pro Picks, players pick winners of all the games on the card, regardless of point spreads or odds. If you get all of them right, you’ll share the prize pool with anyone else in the province who got all the games right. If no one gets all the games right, the prize pool will be shared by all the people who got only one wrong, and so on.
It does not appear that Proline will offer over/under betting on tournament games.
No Over/Under
Ontario Proline does not typically offer over/under betting on regular season NCAA basketball games, primarily because of the volatility of that market. It is not uncommon for NCAA basketball totals to move 5 points or more on the day of a game, due to heavy action on either the over or the under.
Online Sportsbooks
Online sportsbooks offer pretty much all the March Madness odds you could ask for when it comes to the NCAA tournament.
1. Moneyline (no tie rule)
Like Proline March Madness picks, you can bet on who you think will win the game.
But this time, instead of needing your team to win by 6 points or more, you’ll win your bet if they win by any margin of points.
And you can bet on one game at a time, instead of having to combine three games onto one ticket.
2. Point spread
You can also bet the point spread, just like with the provincial sports lottery.
Again, you only need to bet on one game at a time with the point spread, with your payout being approximately $10 for every $11 you bet.
3. Parlays
If you really like the Pro Picks model, you can pick all the games of the day and parlay them onto one ticket with a sportsbook.
The payout will be much, much higher than the Pro Picks payout, since you won’t have to share your winnings with anyone else. But if you get any picks wrong on your parlay ticket, you’ll lose that bet.
Another way to bet parlays is to combine two or three outcomes and try for the big win. Again, if you get any of those picks wrong, you’ll lose your bet.
4. Over/under
Online sportsbooks also offer over/under betting, so you can cheer for either a high-scoring game or a defensive struggle.
(Who wants to cheer for defence, anyway?)
5. Teasers
Teasers can be a good way to shift the odds in your favour.
If you play a 4.5-point teaser (standard in basketball), you can turn a 5.5-point favourite into a 1-point favourite and avoid sweating out those last-minute free throws.
With a teaser, you need to pick at least two games and get them both right. Payouts will be determined by how many games you tease and how many points you tease them by.
6. Live betting
How about when you bet on a game, are all excited to watch it and then tear your March Madness picks ticket up after the opposition builds a huge early lead?
Online sportsbooks offer live betting for cases like this, where the odds shift throughout the game depending on how the game is going.
If a 10 point favourite is losing 10 minutes into the game, you might be able to bet on them as a 5 point favourite through live betting.
7. Halftime betting
Halftime betting is also a great option offered by online sportsbooks.
It gives you the chance to watch the first half of the game and see how the teams look, then bet on the second half.
The odds for the game will be adjusted at halftime, based on the score.
8. Props and futures
Other March Madness odds offered by online sportsbooks include prop bets and futures.
With prop bets, you can bet on how many points or rebounds the star player will get.
Futures will give you a chance to bet on who will win the tournament or the bracket before the games are played. Futures bets can be lucrative.