DraftKings Sportsbook Goes Mad About March Madness Betting In NJ And Beyond
March Madness 2019 is upon us, with basketball games in full swing and the first round starting later this week.
This annual spring ritual is now available for sports betting in New Jersey, and DraftKings Sportsbook has readied its site for the big event.
In fact, the NJ online sportsbook just launched its new brackets contest for the NCAA Tournament.
Bracket contest at DraftKings Sportsbook
In a nutshell, brackets allow customers to fill out their selections in an easy bracket format and, should they make correct picks, win money for those selections.
DraftKings NJ sportsbook allows you to enter public or private contests starting with the first round (64), second round (32) or third round (Sweet 16).
For DraftKings’ New Jersey customers, there are two bracket contests available for play. The first is a free March Madness bracket, where you can take a shot at $64,000 in total prizes. But be advised: This is a national tournament, so there will be competition from across the nation.
If you want a bracket that’s for NJ residents only, then you can partake in DraftKings’ $100,000 cash bracket. This one requires a modest $20 bet to play.
Both of these bracket contests are available on iOS and Android only, so you’ll need to download the DraftKings Sportsbook app to play.
Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets + Score a No Sweat Parlay Every Day
PLUS Get a $50 Bonus Bet on Deposit
PLUS up to $1,000 Deposit Bonus
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Things to note about DraftKings Brackets
The most important thing to remember with this sports betting promo is that New Jersey college teams are excluded from all betting. So if you join the NJ-only bracket contest, note that Fairleigh Dickinson and Seton Hall won’t be included.
While the two teams made it this far, you can’t bet on them here as per NJ sports betting law.
Secondly, the free-to-play bracket contest limits users to one entry. But the NJ-only bracket contest allows 16 entries.
Prizes are handed out thusly:
The nationwide, free-to-play pool pays out the top 6,475 places, including the top five finishers:
- First: $5,000
- Second: $3,500
- Third: $2,500
- Fourth: $2,000
- Fifth: $1,500
The NJ tournament spreads winnings out among the top 1,195 places. And the top-five payouts are:
- First: $20,000
- Second: $10,000
- Third: $7,000
- Fourth: $4,000
- Fifth: $2,000
Other March Madness events at DraftKings NJ
As the tournament progresses, additional bracket contests and other promotions will become available for bettors at DraftKings Sportsbook.
But here’s a rundown of a few things for this week.
CBB Tourney Game Refund: If your team scores 70+ points but still loses, DraftKings will refund your moneyline bet as a free bet up to $25. You do have to opt into this to obtain the refund. And the promotion ends on March 24.
All Net Spread Bonus: Opt-in when you make your first point spread bet on any game in the NCAA tourney, and you’ll get a match up to $50 in the form of a free bet. This one you can use up until April 8, aka the NCAA basketball championship.
Basketball Parlay Insurance: If you place an NCAA parlay of at least four legs this week (March 18-24) and you only miss by one leg (bummer!), DraftKings will credit your money back up to $25.
When are the NCAA Tournament games in 2019?
The tournament kicks off with the first round of 64, played March 21-22.
Next up is the second round, comprised of 32 teams, played on March 23-24. Those games will take place in Columbia, S.C., San Jose, Calif., Jacksonville, Fla., Des Moines, Iowa, Salt Lake City, Hartford, Conn., and Tulsa, Okla.
We then move on to the Sweet 16, which will occur on March 28-29. The Eastern playoffs will take place in Washington, D.C., and the Western playoffs will occur in Anaheim, Calif. The Southern playoffs are in Louisville, Ky., and the Midwest playoffs in Kansas City, Mo.
The Elite Eight, which are the finals for each division, will take place in these same cities, from March 30-31.
Minneapolis will host the Final Four and the championship game, held April 6 and April 8, respectively.
So, who will you be betting on at DraftKings Sportsbook?