The annual March Madness offers and enhancements from sports betting platforms for the upcoming NCAA men's basketball tournament next week will make you dizzy.
FanDuel - the nation's leading sportsbook platform - decided to get ahead of the game. Flutter, the operator's parent company, announced Friday a few new features for the sportsbook ahead of America's biggest betting event.
FanDuel will let customers combine their bracket picks across multiple rounds into a single parlay, the first time individuals can build a parlay over multiple rounds of the tournament including the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four.
The company also debuts a new Bet Back Token, available starting Monday, Mar. 17 and allows customers to actually option out of a wager for future bonus bets.
If users decide this is not going how they thought, such as with a player injury, down 15 points with two minutes to play, or a second thought on the March Madness odds, FD will return the wager amount to the customer in bonus bets for future use.
“The March tournaments offer a full month of high stakes college basketball, and while fans’ brackets may be busted after a round or two of tournament games, their bets no longer have to be with the Bet Back Token,” said Karol Corcoran, Senior Vice President and General Manager of FanDuel Sportsbook in a news release. “Combined with our unique multi-round parlay feature, this year we are offering our customers unparalleled flexibility, reinforcing FanDuel’s position as the best sportsbook to bet their bracket.”
Dates to know
The unveiling of the 68 teams for the tournament will be announced on Selection Sunday, Mar. 16 at 6 p.m. ET on CBS.
The First Four will be held on Tuesday, Mar. 18 at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, with the four winners advancing to the traditional first round and 64-team field held on Thursday, Mar. 18 and Friday, Mar. 19. The second round takes place on Saturday, Mar. 20 and Sunday, Mar. 21 with winners advancing to the Sweet 16 (Thursday, Mar. 25 and Friday, Mar. 26).
The Elite Eight will be held on Saturday, Mar. 27 and Sunday, Mar. 28 to determine the tournament's Final Four.
The Final Four takes place Saturday, Apr. 5, in San Antonio, Texas, with the national championship game scheduled for Monday, Apr. 7.
