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 college basketball betting thrills you can find during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Here in California, sports wagering is not legal. So that means you’ll need to wait on placing wagers on individual March Madness games or which teams will make the Sweet 16 or Final Four. However, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) and social books 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 sites for California players
When California online sites 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 daily fantasy sports apps to help you get in on the March Madness action in California this year.
Sign up for FanDuel Predicts & Get a $25 Trading Bonus
Make Predictions on Real World Events Right in Your Phone
Trade on Sports to Culture, Financials, Crypto and More
Deposit $10, Get a $20 Trading Bonus
Live Trade with the Biggest Payouts at the Largest Prediction Market in the World
Use Bonus Code: PLAYCA
America's #1 Sports Prediction Market
Same Sports Moments, Bigger Payouts
Choose from Straights, Player Props, Parlays & More
Use Exclusive Code: PLAYCA
Complete a Task in the Crypto.com App to Unlock up to 1 Bitcoin Worth of CRO Rewards
America’s All-In-One Trading Platform
Manage Your Crypto, Stocks, Predictions & Card Spend Seamlessly
Get $50
Up to $200 in No Sweat Entries + A Free Pick
Higher Payouts & No Pushes
Use Bonus Code: BETODDS
New DraftKings Customers Play Free With $25 Instantly in Bonus Picks, Plus up to a 100% Winnings Boost
Lock in your Picks & Compete with others
To Claim: Click Play Now
New DraftKings Customers – Get 3 Tickets to Play Free. Take Your Shot at a Share of MILLIONS in Prizes With First Deposit
T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
To Claim: Click Play Now
How to make March Madness picks online in California
First and foremost, you need to choose which DFS platform 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 DFS sites for March Madness
Here are some quick takeaways on our favorite March Madness pick’em platforms for California residents.
DraftKings Pick 6
New DraftKings Customers Play Free With $25 Instantly in Bonus Picks, Plus up to a 100% Winnings Boost
Lock in your Picks & Compete with others
To Claim: Click Play Now
🏀 DraftKings Pick 6 keeps things simple. Go to their college basketball section, select a game, and then pick more or less for player statistics. One fun thing about DraftKings Pick 6 is the site lets you do a points + rebounds + assists stat line, which is perfect if you think your favorite player is going to stuff the stat sheet in March Madness. Overall, the site has a smooth interface and plenty of markets available.
- More/less points, points milestones, 3-pointers, rebounds and more for March Madness
- Win cash prizes
- Nice referral bonus
Betr Picks
Up to $200 in No Sweat Entries + A Free Pick
Higher Payouts & No Pushes
Use Bonus Code: BETODDS
🏀 Betr Picks lets you create parlay-style picks by selecting ‘more’ or ‘less’ on 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 operator.
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 books that focus on March Madness prop-style picks.
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 sites 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 operator 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? That is a staple at DFS sites, especially during the NCAA Tournament.
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. Brackets bring a fun social aspect. It’s simple to join a digital bracket contest, where you can see a score by your name right alongside your friends. You can also fill out a physical one by hand. However, if you don’t want to be quite as restricted as you are in brackets (as in, if a 16-seed beats your title pick in the Round of 64, your bracket is busted), 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. There’s plenty of flexibility.
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, especially on day one.
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 (53 times, to be exact). In all those years, they’ve cut down the nets 11 times, which always makes them an intriguing selection for customers to consider.
- San Diego State: While the Aztecs can’t claim a national title, they have had their fair share of tournament appearances over the last few seasons. San Diego State made five straight NCAA Tournaments from 2021-2025. That includes a national title game appearance in 2023.
- 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 four seasons.
- 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 sports wagering operators.
Here’s a look at what operators have offered in past seasons in terms of free bracket challenges (with real prizes) for California fans:
- BetMGM: The top-scoring bracket in this free contest won a cool $100,000. That’s nothing to scoff at, that’s for sure. BetMGM had a bounty on a perfect bracket as part of this challenge. If someone would have filled out a perfect bracket, they’d win a staggering $10 million for their historical achievement.
- FanDuel: In previous years, FanDuel offered a Bracket Pick’em contest. It’s simple: You make picks as the tournament unfolds, and the highest-scoring entries earn prizes. In past seasons, the prize total was $5,000. Look for the operator to host something similar once more in 2026.
- DraftKings: This operator pulled a 180 on the traditional bracket contests. In this case, you’re trying to not pick games correctly (yes, you read that right). DraftKings hosted a Zero Right Bracket Challenge where the goal was to get as close to zero as possible. For every correct pick, particpants earned a point. Those closest to zero would earn a share of $100,000 at the end of March Madness.
March Madness picking rules
Every social site 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 wagering is fully legalized in California, residents will be able to wager on everything from game outcomes to futures and prop bets. Major operators like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM are already gearing up with exciting promotions and a variety of wagering options for the tournament.
While California has not yet legalized full sports wagering, you can still enjoy making March Madness picks through social sites and DFS platforms currently available to CA bettors.