Optimove Releases Study to Help Drive March Madness ROI for Sportsbooks
Posted on: March 13, 2026, 08:10h.
Last updated on: March 13, 2026, 08:10h.
- March Madness NCAA men’s and women’s basketball finals get going next week
- Optimove releases study shedding light on bettor patterns for tournament
- Study analyzed 34.5 million bets during 2025 tournament
Optimove, the CRM and player engagement platform company for igaming and sports betting operators, has released a blueprint for operators that they say will drive marketing ROI for the March Madness NCAA men’s and women’s basketball finals.
March Madness Betting Study
The report, called March Madness 2026 – A Data-Driven Blueprint for Sportsbook Operators, dives into bettor behaviour during last year’s tournament.
Last year was historic – all four No. 1 seeds (Florida, Houston, Auburn and Duke) made the Final Four, the second time ever after 2008. No.1 Florida went on to defeat No. 1 Houston in a thrilling come-from-behind 65-63 win in the championship game.
Bets By Over 1 Million Players Analyzed
Optimove Insights, the analytical and research arm of Optimove, did the research. Optimove helps operators personalize marketing, boost player retention, an maximize lifetime value via data-driven tools, AI and real-time capabilities.
The report analyzed more than 34.5 million bets placed by over one million players during March Madness 2025, from Selection Sunday March 16 of last year through to the championship game April 7.
$4 Billion in Wagering Projected
The report delves into player acquisition trends, engagement patterns, and long-term retention data, across every stage of the tournament.
Key highlights include getting to bettors early – 50% of all first-time depositors sign on within the first 35% of the tournament schedule. Retention is as important as acquisition: players who bet across 10 or more days wager 269% more per day than single-day players.
Recent research has shed a spotlight on how dominant March Madness betting is. According to H2 Gambling Capital data released this week, sports betting handle on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball finals will reach $4 billion this year. The Super Bowl remains the most bet-on one-off game in U.S. sports – with Super Bowl LX generating an estimated $1.4 billion in handle last month, H2 said in a statement. But March Madness is the most bet-on event on the U.S. sports calendar.
Moveable Middle
On the men’s side, Selection Sunday is this weekend. First Four is March 17-18. First Round is March 19-20. Second Round is March 21-22. Sweet 16 is March 26-27. Elite Eight is March 28-29. Final Four is April 4, and the NCAA championship game is April 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
On the women’s side, Selection Sunday is this weekend as well. First Four is March 18-19. First Round is March 20-21. Second Round is March 22-23. Sweet 16 is March 27-28. Elite Eight is March 29-30. Final Four is April 3, and the NCAA championship game is April 5 at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
Selection Sunday and Championship Day produce the highest-quality bettors, with six-month retention rates of 92% and 83%, from just 17% of total first-time depositors, according to Optimove.
Selection Sunday This Weekend
According to the study as well, sportsbook operators need to focus on the first and second rounds. Those rounds deliver 46% of all new players. Operators need to drill down on this group and separate long-term prospects from occasion-only players to generate higher ROI.
“Every major sports event produces the same three-tier player pool; regulars at the top who need no nudge, one-and-done players at the bottom, and the Moveable Middle in between,” said Pini Yakuel, CEO of Optimove.
“The sportsbooks with the right analytics will know the difference in real time. Deep marketing intelligence is critical for marketers to connect in the moment, and Positionless Marketers are the ones equipped to move on a dime because they have data, creative, and optimization power at their fingertips.
“They are empowered to connect with the right players, with the right messages at the right moment.”
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