Best March Madness Betting Sites in CA

If you’re interested in college basketball, you’ve likely already experienced the joy (and frustration) of picking a March Madness bracket. That, however, is just a small part of the betting thrills you can find during the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Here in California, sports betting is not legal. So that means you’ll need to wait on placing bets on individual March Madness games or which teams will make the Sweet 16 or Final Four. However, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and social sportsbooks remain a viable option for California residents in the meantime.

Let’s take a closer look at the best apps for making March Madness picks in California.

Best March Madness pick’em sites in California for 2025

When California online sportsbooks go live, players will have access to the best platforms for wagering on March Madness. Until then, California sports fans can take part in legal DFS prop-style pick’em contests. Here are some of the best DFS apps to help you get in on the March Madness action in California this year.

Here are three social sportsbooks and DFS platforms offering excellent March Madness playing options, expected to launch in California once sports betting is legalized.

How to make March Madness picks online in California

First and foremost, you need to choose which DFS platform or social sportsbook you want to have an account with. If you’re not sure, you can read through our reviews here on this site to see the pros and cons of each, as well as what bonuses they are currently offering.

You can get access to the best California DFS bonuses available to new customers if you click our link to be taken to the operator of your choice. Once you get to the platform, click the “sign up” or “register” button and then provide all the details they ask for.

Once your account is created, you can then claim your bonuses.

Make sure to read the terms and conditions for any promotions you’re going to accept to understand what you will need to do to claim your winnings.

Top 3 DFS and Social Sportsbooks for March Madness

Here are some quick takeaways on our three favorite March Madness pick’em platforms for California residents.

🏀 Underdog Fantasy: Underdog Fantasy is one of the top DFS products offered today. With a great mobile app, easy-to-use interface, and multiple game modes, it’s a must-have for California residents looking to make picks during the NCAA Tournament. You’ll find:

• Higher or lower Pick’ems
• Best Ball pick format
• Battle Royale contests

🏀 Fliff: Compete with friends or other users with Fliff’s social sportsbook. During March Madness, users can make selections, playing for free or competing for cash prizes. You can follow your friends on Fliff, too, so bragging rights are at stake. Keep an eye out for:

• Moneyline, spread and point total odds for March Madness
• Win cash prizes
• Earn badges and move up leaderboards

🏀 Betr: Build parlay-style picks by choosing “more” or “less” for player stats. The more picks you add to your entry, the bigger the potetial payout. The self-proclaimed “dead simple fantasy” app keeps it simple for users. You will see:

• Simple, quick picks
• High payout multipliers
• No pushes possible on picks with half-points

How to make picks on March Madness futures

Think you know who will cut down the nets after the National Championship game? Consider using that information to make picks with any legal DFS or social sportsbook.

The odds for futures picks are always higher when the lines are first released, which gives you a better shot at a larger return on your investment. That, however, isn’t always the case when you wait through the regular season before making your selection.

There are a variety of futures picks you can make for the NCAA Tournament. Below is a small sample of the many opportunities you’ll find:

• Which team will win the national championship?
• Which conference will the national championship come from?
• Which team or teams will win their regional?
• Which team or teams will make the Final Four?

Some of these futures opportunities pop up right after the last March Madness comes to a close. Others arrive before the start of the regular NCAA basketball season.

How to make picks on pre-tournament seeds and props

Not all March Madness picks revolve around which team will win the national title. There are quite a few odds markets at most DFS apps and social sportsbooks that focus on March Madness prop-style piks.

Prop selections typically aren’t dependent on wins and losses like other pick types. Some prop picks you might see include things like:

• How many teams from each conference will be invited to March Madness?
• Over/under picks on the seeds, the teams are assigned
• Which team will be awarded the coveted No. 1 seeds?
• Over/under picks on the number of wins a team could get in the tourney

You’ll find plenty more opportunities in your operator of choice. If you want even more picks, you can sign up for multiple accounts and do the shopping for the best options and the widest selection of picks available.

How to make picks on the First Four

Not every team in the NCAA Tournament gets there simply by being invited. There are four games in which teams are asked to square off with one another to decide which will advance to be either an 11-seed or a 16-seed in a region.

This play-in tournament consists of the four teams with the lowest-seeded at-large bids and the four lowest-seeded automatic bids. This is essentially a miniature first round to the NCAA Tournament, and like the more complete 64-team national championship tourney, you can also place picks on the First Four.

Once these teams are announced, DFS operators and social sportsbooks in California will release odds for each game. You’ll also be able to try your hand at things like point spreads and parlay picks during this part of the March Madness games as well.

Popular picks for March Madness

Three major pick types will dominate the DFS and social sportsbook market when it comes to March Madness. Here are the basics for each of the top March Madness pick:

• Moneyline: A moneyline pick is as simple as they come. You are given two teams that will be playing one another and you are tasked with choosing which team will win. Lines for these games typically are released once the entire NCAA Tournament field is announced. From that point forward, the lines are released as upcoming matchups are determined.
• Spreads: While the moneyline might be the most simple pick you can make, and it is the most popular with new players, it is the point spread that gets the most attention from experienced players. The basic concept of the point spread pick is you are given the two teams playing in an upcoming game as well as the number of points the favorite is expected to win by. You need to choose if the favorite will win by that amount or more, or if the underdog will keep the game closer than the spread or even win outright.
• Totals: A totals pick is also known as an over/under, which will make sense in just a moment. You see, totals picks are focused not on which team wins their games, but on how many points the two teams playing will combine to score. If the two teams combine to score more than the predicted points total, then you would select the over. If you think the two teams won’t be able to live up to the expectations, then you’d pick the under. Totals also apply for player prop-style picks. Will a certain player score more or less than his projected total?

March Madness picks vs. March Madness brackets

You might be thinking to yourself, “I’ve got this, I’ve filled out a ton of March Madness brackets in my day!” Well, the truth of the matter is, they are quite a bit different. But which is better?

If you’re extremely casual about the NCAA Tournament, you’ll probably want to just stick with brackets. But if you don’t want to be quite as restricted as you are in brackets, then picking single games is the route to go.

That doesn’t mean you can’t do both, of course. The difference is by making picks on single games, you can always choose to make picks on games you’re more comfortable with instead of those you’re not quite sure about.

You can also be comforted knowing that picking individual games instead of the tournament as a whole means you don’t have to worry about your bracket getting busted.

Instead, you can just make a pick on the next game. You’re not stuck because of an upset or unexpected turn of events like you might be in a bracket.

Should you place picks on March Madness favorites or Cinderellas?

This is a personal decision that you have to make for yourself, but our advice is pretty simple: Do your homework and go with the team that your research indicates has the best chance of winning.

That homework can consist of a lot of things, but looking at recent trends for the teams, including player trends, will be important, as will the most current win/loss streaks and how the teams perform in pressure situations.

The excitement of picking a Cinderella team and getting it right is always a boost of energy for players, but those big upsets (like a No. 16 defeating a No. 1 seed) aren’t very common. That’s why doing your homework and research is the most important aspect of your March Madness picking strategy.

That said, you shouldn’t just run with all favorites unless you find solid evidence in favor of that move. There are always going to be upsets, so if your homework indicates there is a good chance of that happening then you shouldn’t avoid it just because of seeding.

Which California teams can you pick during March Madness?

California teams are no stranger to making it to the Big Dance and competing for a chance to cut down the nets. These are some of the teams that commonly make the trip to participate in March Madness.

• UCLA: The Bruins are a staple in the NCAA Tournament, and any year that they don’t make it is a disappointment to their faithful fans. In the history of the school, they have made it to the tourney more than most other colleges. In all those years, they’ve cut down the nets more than 10 times, which always makes them an intriguing selection for customers to consider. In their first year in the Big Ten Conference, the Bruins are projected to make the Big Dance.
• San Diego State: While the Aztecs can’t claim a national title, they have had their fair share of tournament appearances over the decades, including in the 21st Century. San Diego State appeared in the Sweet Sixteen last season. The year before, the Aztecs made it to the title game, losing to UConn. One of the better units in the Mountain West this season, San Diego State is projected to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in as many seasons.
• Saint Mary’s: A powerhouse in the West Coast Conference, the Gaels have been to the NCAA Tournament 10 times since 2005. They’ve played in the Big Dance in the last three seasons and are set to make yet another appearance.
• San Francisco: The Dons might not be the first pick you think of when considering which teams could get a bid to the NCAA tourney, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t in the conversation every year. In fact, the team has two championships that they earned in the 1950s and still manages to make the dance from time to time, including in 2022.
• California: The Golden Bears have been known to get invited to March Madness and even brought home a national title back in 1959. They don’t make as regular of appearances as UCLA (not many teams do), but they have been in the running during most regular seasons.
• USC: The University of Southern California might be known for being a football school, but the basketball team has more than just a handful of March Madness appearances. While they have never been able to hang a National Championship banner, they have gone toe-to-toe with some of the best programs when getting a bid to play in the NCAA Tournament.
• Stanford: The Cardinal basketball team proves you can be smart as heck and still competitive on the court. Stanford took home a national title back in the 1940s and has made multiple appearances since. While they may not be the most potent team around, they are capable of winning, especially in the early rounds of the tournament.

March Madness bracket contests

If you’re one of those March Madness fans who just can’t get through the spring without filling out a bracket, you’re in luck because there are still a lot of free-to-play contests you can get in on with California sportsbooks.

Below, we take a look at three sportsbooks that offer up a free bracket for players to enjoy, each with real prizes available to win.

• BetMGM: The top-scoring bracket in this free contest wins a cool $100,000.That’s nothing to scoff at, that’s for sure. If someone one day manages to fill out a perfect bracket? Well, they’ll get a staggering $10 million for that historical moment.
• FanDuel: Each selection that you correctly pick will earn you points that get added up to determine the winners of this free bracket contest. The total prize pool comes in at $5,000, which is solid considering the contest is free to enter.
• DraftKings: This free-to-play contest is a survivor pool. You are tasked with picking a winner for each day of the tournament. If you can survive the championship, you can be a part of the group of players who split a $30,000 prize pool.

March Madness picking rules

Every social sportsbook or DFS platform has its own “house rules” that govern how making selections work in particular situations in each sport. College basketball selections and making picks on the NCAA Tournament are no different.

Most operators are going to have similar rules, but you can always read through them by visiting their respective websites and reading through them. You can also find them in the terms and conditions you have to agree to sign up for an account.

Here are some examples of rules you might find in your operator when it comes to March Madness:

• All picks are settled using only official data and statistics provided by the NCAA
• If the tournament is canceled for any reason, selections will be voided and refunds issued to all players
• Games must start on the scheduled day to have action
• All picks include overtime unless otherwise stated

Start making your March Madness picks today!

If you’re passionate about college basketball, there’s no better time to dive into the world of making sports picks than during March Madness!

Once sports betting is fully legalized in California, residents will be able to wager on everything from game outcomes to futures and prop bets. Major sportsbooks like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM are already gearing up with exciting promotions and a variety of college basketball betting options for the tournament.

While California has not yet legalized full sports betting, you can still enjoy betting on March Madness through social sportsbooks and DFS sites currently available to CA bettors.