Best sportsbook promos for the NCAA Tournament

It's officially NCAA tournament week, as the four-day stretch from Thurs., March 20 to Sun., March 23 is as good as it gets as a sports fan. If you're a first-time bettor eyeing March Madness, it may be a good time to look over sign-up promos from the best sportsbooks. These offers are great ways to build out a bankroll since you're able to acquire bonus bets and other rewards to start. You can figure out how you want to dive in as we'll examine each top sportsbook's welcome offer along with what you can bet on. 

Sportsbook promo comparison

Below are the sign-up offers from every top sportsbook, but let's dig in further to see how they all compare to one another. 

FanDuel, DraftKings and bet365 all feature bet and get offers, with slight differences. With DraftKings and bet365, you get your bonus bets regardless if your first bet wins or loses. With DraftKings, the $200 in bonus bets comes out to eight $25 tokens, whereas you can wager your $150 in bonus bets with bet365 however you'd like. Meanwhile, FanDuel is awarding $200 in bonus bets on a $5 initial stake, but you have to win your first bet in order to receive the bonus bets.

With BetMGM, Fanatics and Caesars, you have to bet more to potentially earn more bonus bets but it could also result in a new bettor losing a bigger amount to start. BetMGM offers first-bet insurance of up to $1,500, matching a first-bet loss with the same amount in bonus bets. Any first bet amount over $50 that loses, BetMGM gives out five bonus bet tokens of equal amounts. At Fanatics, you can earn up to a total of $1,000 in bonus bets, giving out bonus bets up to $100 if your first bet loses in each of your first 10 days with the sportsbook. 

Caesars has a unique offer where new bettors receive 10 100% profit boost tokens after an initial bet of $1. Each token doubles your potential winnings, and comes with a maximum bet amount of $25 and a maximum winnings of $2,500. While you don't have to wager four figures at Caesars to potentially maximize its promotion, $250 may not be the easiest pill to swallow either.

New bettors have to decide what their bet unit size is and how much they're willing to risk. If the thought of betting $100, let alone $1,000, has your heart racing, placing a smaller amount of $5 as your first bet at FanDuel, DraftKings and betMGM to potentially earn at least $150 in bonus bets seems like a better path to start sports betting. For bettors that are more comfortable wagering bigger amounts, the welcome offers at BetMGM and Fanatics could be solid ways to really build your bankroll quickly with their insurance promos. 

NCAA Tournament preview

The bracket is out, so let's preview all four regions using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed and resides in the South Region, where the Tigers have +105 odds to make it to the Final Four. Auburn also has the third-lowest odds to win it all at +550. Auburn will play the winner of Alabama State and St. Francis (PA) for its Round of 64 matchup. The other top seeds in this region are No. 2 Michigan State (+460 Final Four, +2800 national title), No. 3 Iowa State (+500 Final Four, +3100 national title) and No. 4 Texas A&M (+1200 Final Four, +8500 national title. One popular upset pick in this region will likely be in the 5-12 game, where Big Ten tournament champion Michigan takes on Big West winner UC San Diego. The Wolverines are currently 3.5-point favorites in this contest and the Tritons are +128 on the money line.

In the East Region, Duke reigns supreme with the No. 1 seed. Even with injury questions surrounding Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown, the Blue Devils are not only the heaviest favorites (-120) to make the Final Four of any team, they're also the favorites to cut down the nets in San Antonio at +310. Only two other teams in this region have odds shorter than +1000 to make the Final Four—No. 2 Alabama at +410 and No. 4 Arizona at +800. This is the only region to have multiple spreads within one possession in its Round of 64 games, with No. 6 BYU favored by 2.5 points over No. 11 VCU and No. 8 Mississippi State at -1.5 against No. 9 Baylor.

Houston, the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, is dealing with a key injury of its own as well after J'Wan Roberts suffered an ankle injury in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals. The Cougars have the longest odds (+140) of any No. 1 seed to make the Final Four. No. 2-seeded Tennessee is next at +370, followed by No. 8-seeded Gonzaga at +850. That's right, the No. 8 seed has lower odds than the No. 3 seed (Kentucky at +900) and No. 4 seed (Purdue at +1200) in this region. In a battle of the Bulldogs in this region's 8-9 contest, Gonzaga is laying 6.5 points against Georgia for the right to play Houston in the Round of 32. Unless, of course, No. 16 SIU Edwardsville (+28.5 spread, +6500 money line) pulls off an all-time stunner against Houston. 

The West Region is the only one that features four teams with +4000 odds or shorter to win the national title. No. 1 Florida leads this bunch at +450, followed by No. 3 Texas Tech at +2300, No. 2 St. John's at +2800 and No. 4 Maryland at +4000. While the four top seeds are viewed to be powerhouses, the No. 5 seed is actually an underdog in its opening game. No. 5 Memphis is getting 2.5 points against red-hot No. 12 Colorado State. The Rams have won their past 10 games, including three in the Mountain West tournament by a combined 32 points. Colorado State is the only higher-seeded team in the Round of 64 to be favored in its matchup. 

Responsible gaming with DraftKings

Bettors should be careful when placing wagers and know their limits. DraftKings takes responsible gaming very seriously and offers its users a number of responsible gambling resources in addition to limits bettors can use and opt in to, including time, wager and deposit limits. DraftKings also offers cool-off periods and the ability for users to put themselves on a self-exclusion list. 

Here are some additional problem gambling assistance resources.

• The National Council on Problem Gambling
• Gamblers Anonymous
• Call or text 24/7: 1-800-GAMBLER