March Madness is famously capricious, but as the tournament gets under way one prediction seems safe – there will be more money riding on it than ever before. But higher stakes carry increased risks and the threats and abuse directed at student-athletes are growing.
Americans will legally wager an estimated $2.72bn on the men’s and women’s March Madness events this year according to the American Gaming Association, a trade group. That is only a small fraction of the likely total, with many more billions expected to be ventured through unlicensed channels such as bracket pools.
