March Madness shifts into full gear next week with the NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Tournaments tipping off. On Thursday, the American Gaming Association released its annual projection for U.S. March Madness sports betting. Its 2025 estimate foresees a record $3.1 billion in legal wagers being placed on the men’s and women’s brackets. Enter TheLines' Perfect 16 March Hoops Game for Free College hoops betting could see near-15 percent increase $3.1 billion in legal bets would be a year-over-year increase of nearly 15 percent from the $2.7 billion wagered on the 2024 NCAA hoops tourneys.  It also would roughly double the estimated record $1.5 billion legally wagered on the Philadelphia Eagles’ rout of the Kansas City Chiefs last month in Super Bowl 59. Sports betting’s steady growth has fueled these record-setting handles. Legal sports wagering is currently available in 38 U.S. states and Washington D.C. “March Madness is one of the most exciting times in American sports, with fans fired up for both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments,” AGA SVP of Strategic Communications Joe Maloney said in the Thursday news release. “As legal wagering expands across the U.S., more fans than ever have the opportunity to bet legally and responsibly.”  Note that the AGA’s $3.1B March Madness estimate does not include money wagered in office or family NCAA Tournament pools or on other non-regulated platforms. AGA stresses responsible March Madness betting more than ever The full men’s and women’s brackets will be revealed Sunday, and the men’s First Four games will be held next Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio. With 100 combined NCAA men’s and women’s NCAA tourney games scheduled in total over the next week, March Madness betting will be fast and furious. And in hand-in-hand with that flurry, the AGA-backed “Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly” campaign is as vital as ever.  The responsible gaming campaign promotes five key principles:  Set a budget: Determine how much you are willing to spend and stick to it.  Keep it social: Betting should be a form of entertainment shared with others.  Know the odds: Understand the games and your chances of winning.  Play legally: Use regulated, legal betting platforms.   Keep your cool: The result of a bet – win or lose – is not an invitation to criticize players, coaches, or officials online or in-person.     “Keep your cool” is the newest principle added this year.  “(It’s) all about keeping betting fun and respecting the game – no matter how unpredictable March Madness becomes,” Maloney says in the release.