Mar. 20—The NCAA men's basketball tournament turned last March into Maine's biggest non-football betting month of the year.
And as the Cooper Flagg story heads into March Madness, Maine this time will have a stake in the big dance.
The NCAA Tournament is a giant in the sports betting landscape, but with Flagg playing a central role in the action this year, experts in the industry believe the interest and wagering action in Maine could be even higher than it was last season. With basketball leading the way, the state's sports betting handle — the amount of money wagered — last March was just over $47.5 million, the highest of any month until last September's passed $50 million, according to the state Gambling Control Unit's revenue reports.
"Almost everybody, no matter where you are in the country, has a local school they're a fan of or has a connection to a school as a graduate," said Dave Forman, the vice president of research at the American Gaming Association. "In the case of Maine, (in) Cooper Flagg, (it) has an athlete from that area. ... I don't think there's any doubt that Cooper Flagg will probably drive interest in Maine."
Flagg has been the biggest story in the state for years, and his every move in his first year at Duke has been celebrated as he's earned unanimous All-American recognition and status as a favorite to both win the Wooden Award as the best player in college basketball and be selected No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.
And as Duke goes into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, could viewing interest translate into betting interest in Maine for a tournament that, according to Forman, is expected to receive over $3 billion in wagers overall?
"Oh, my God, yes," said Johnny Avello, the director of race and sports operations at DraftKings. "In Maine, you can expect that any of the Duke games are going to be bet heavily, and it's not going to end there. This is a big tournament. It's not like they're going to bet the Duke game and then turn the TV off. That's not the way it works."
Flagg's presence already had an effect on the betting numbers during the season. According to DraftKings, Duke went from being Maine's fifth-most bet on team during last year's tournament to being its most bet-on team this season.
"You can put two and two together and figure out why they got there in that state," DraftKings communications associate Alex Shapiro said.
It's different in March, however. The people who were inspired to watch regular season college basketball by Flagg this season may have already been putting money down on the tournament in previous years. Flagg's ankle injury, which he suffered during the ACC tournament, casts further uncertainty.
"I think March Madness is such a unique thing," said Steven Silver, the chair of Maine's Gambling Control Board. "Even people who never watch basketball are involved somehow, whether it's a bracket with their friends or in their office, or actually betting at a sportsbook or through an app.
"It's hard to tell how having arguably the No. 1 player for the No. 1 team coming from the state, how that will impact it. ... The other variable is, will he actually play in the first round or the first two rounds?"
Flagg said Thursday he is ready to play on Friday.
John Holden, an Indiana University professor who's written about the regulation of sports gambling, said he "absolutely" expects Maine's betting numbers this tournament to get a boost due to Flagg's participation. DraftKings, which accounted for 82% of Maine's March handle, declined to provide what it had for a handle in Maine for last year's tournament, or an estimate for this year's.
"If we see Duke go pretty late into the tournament ... I would expect to see a pretty big uptick, at least in betting on Duke," Holden said. "Last year, the state did close to $50 million in March. I expect that number or bigger, just with the unique interest in Duke."
Holden said with Maine having a smaller betting market than most states, any Flagg boost could be more visible.
"We're going to see more of an impact in Maine than we would see in other states," he said. "It's got a smaller handle than some of the other, larger states where this might be a little more diffused. Cooper Flagg's impact on the numbers in Maine is going to be more significant than, say, if Cooper Flagg was from Florida."
Silver said he's interested to see the bets, and kinds of bets, Flagg's involvement spurs. Maine does not allow bets on college players' individual performance, also known as prop bets.
"Duke is poised for a long run, but upsets happen, so you never know," he said. "It'll be interesting (to see) when the month is over, was there a huge amount of bets on Duke to win it all compared to other states?"
Silver also said Flagg might not be the only factor driving up interest in the tournament, and therefore, in betting on it.
"Obviously Cooper draws a lot of Mainers to watch those games, but also UMaine being one win away from making the tournament," he said. "I think that really sparked some renewed interest in the basketball program up here, and has a lot of eyeballs on the tournament. And really, a third thing is there's a huge increase in viewership for the women's game. All of that combines for what should be a pretty profitable March."
The betting handle could go up even independent of the Flagg factor. February saw a handle of roughly $41.1 million, a 22% increase over what was wagered in February 2024.
"I think it's just a matter of having a more established, a more mature market," Silver said. "It's not new anymore, so there's a constant attempt to find new customers. The more time you have to do that, the more people you get using your apps."
It will also be the first NCAA Tournament in Maine with an in-person parlor, following the September opening of the Oddfellahs sports bar in Portland. The bar's owner, Michael Cianchette, said the venue had its best turnout when Flagg and Duke played North Carolina on March 8.
"We're excited. We do think in-person gaming is different than online because there is a huge social aspect," he said. "There's opportunities for the ribbing and the jeering and some of that light-hearted rivalry. It gives people a reason to be together, be in one place and cheer on their team."
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