August 13, 2026

Editorial: Perspective is lost over March Madness

Office pools are sprouting across the nation as the NCAA men's basketball tournament begins this week. Last year it was estimated that March Madness office pools nationwide netted up to several billion dollars in wagers. That's why it is so odd that the NCAA and some members of Congress want to outlaw college sports betting in Nevada. After all, last year the American Gaming Association projected that just $70 million was wagered legally on March Madness in this state.

If the prohibitionists were serious about this issue, wouldn't it make more sense for them to crack down on the office pools? But they know it's much easier to slap around a small state like Nevada, and score political points along the way, rather than make outlaws of millions of Americans elsewhere.

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