Majority of Proline bettors expect to see Duke and Florida in NCAA men’s hoop final

By Canadian Press on April 2, 2025.

The vast majority of Proline bettors are expecting a Duke-Florida final in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., most Proline players figure on Duke and Florida winning their semifinal contests Saturday. A solid 97 per cent of players feel Duke will dispatch Houston while 72 per cent see Florida getting past Auburn.

The Final Four will feature all No. 1 seeds.

Florida advanced with an 84-79 win over Texas Tech, an outcome backed by 89 per cent of players. Eighty-one per cent of bettors supported Duke’s 85-65 victory over Alabama while 71 per cent backed Auburn’s 70-64 decision over Michigan State.

But just 51 per cent of bettors had Houston downing Tennessee 69-50.

The 2025 Major League Baseball regular season opened last week, with the Toronto Blue Jays dropping their opener 12-2 to the Baltimore Orioles. But the Jays did manage to split the four-game series.

Baltimore earned a 9-5 win Saturday, with just 35 per cent of bettors backing the Orioles. Even less (11 per cent) had Baltimore +1.5 runs although a solid 94 per cent correctly had the Over at 8.5.

Toronto finished the series with a 3-1 win Sunday. A solid 78 per cent of players backed the Jays -1.5 runs but only eight per cent had the under at 8.5.

In NHL action, the Toronto Maple Leafs were 3-1 on the week, including consecutive wins Saturday (3-1 over Los Angeles) and Sunday (3-2 versus Anaheim).

Eighty per cent of bettors successfully backed Toronto on Saturday but just four per cent took the under 5.5 goal, However, 68 per cent had the Leafs +1.5 on the spread. On Sunday, 86 per cent of players correctly supported Toronto’s victory.

While only 13 per cent had Anaheim at +1.5 on the spread, 57 per cent took the under at 6.5.

In other NHL action, 85 per cent backed Ottawa in its 3-2 win over Columbus and 52 per cent had Edmonton beating Calgary 3-2,

A Proline digital bettor won $7,963.60 from a $5 bet on an 11-pick parlay while another earned $1,393.56 from a $1 wager on a 12-pick parlay. A third bettor received $6,719.60 from a $5 bet on another 12-pick parlay.

Meanwhile, a retail player won $2,944.50 from a $5 bet on a six-pick parlay. And another earned $1,284.20 from a $5 wager on a five-pick parlay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025.

The Canadian Press