March Madness brings sports bettors to Northern Nevada

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - March Madness is in full swing, and sports fanatics from other states are in Northern Nevada, placing their wagers, and visiting Sports Books in town, like the one at the Atlantis.

All to take part in the action going on in the NCAA tournament. One fan traveled to the area from Oregon, with six of his friends.

“The great thing about March Madness, is they call it that for a reason, so you can have a team that’s a seven or eight seed, or a four or five seed, and they go a lot farther than you think they would go,” said Mike Brown, Duke Basketball fan from Oregon, visiting the Atlantis with his buddies.

It’s that unpredictability, that makes sports fans give in to the (March) Madness.

“The energy is outstanding, it’s the one event that matches the Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby,” said Steve Mikkelson, Director at the Atlantis Race & Sports Book.

An estimated 68 million Americans will place wagers during the 2023 tournament, according to the American Gaming Association.

“You can have $10 on a game and its almost as exciting as if you had $100 on a game; there are inevitably teams that you don’t know anything about and you’re watching these games and since you have $10 on it, you have a blast watching it with your buddies and having a good time,” said Brown.

Plus, the Atlantis sports book is offering consolation for upsets during the first round of the tournament, calling it the ‘Upset Special,’ which enters you in a drawing for a chance to win $100, but you have to be at the Atlantis to win.

To learn more about sports betting at the Atlantis, click here.

Copyright 2023 KOLO. All rights reserved.