In gambling, the only problem you’re going to have is that you didn’t bet more on a winning bet.
And that’s why big-time gambler and Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy is kicking himself for not wagering on the Florida Gators to win the national championship well before their March Madness run began.
“I’m gonna regret not betting Florida to win the title at 16-1 when I was telling everybody and their grandmother to bet them to win the title for the rest of my life if they win the title,” Portnoy said in an X post on March 16.
Three weeks later, Portnoy’s nightmare became a reality with Florida rallying past Houston for a 65-63 win in San Antonio to claim the national championship on Monday night.
“Officially haunted,” Portnoy wrote after the game went final.
It ended what was a crushing Final Four for Portnoy, who lost a brutal parlay wager that would have netted him $200,000 when Houston rallied past Duke on Saturday night.
“That has to go down as one of the greatest chokes in history of sports,” Portnoy wrote on X on Saturday. “Congrats Duke. You will always be remembered as choking dog losers.”
It was the third comeback Florida needed to claim the title — erasing leads held by UConn and Texas Tech earlier in the tournament.
Walter Clayton Jr., who transferred from Iona last season, won the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after averaging 22.3 points per game.
Clayton Jr. went scoreless in the first half against Houston but found his footing in the second half as the Gators chipped away at a 12-point Cougars advantage.
Portnoy instead had money on his alma mater, Michigan, to win the national title at 80/1.
Michigan would lose to Auburn in the Sweet 16.
Betting on College Basketball?
Portnoy probably should have listened to his No. 2 at Barstool, Dan “Big Cat” Katz, who did wager on the Gators to win the national championship.
Katz wagered $25,000 on Florida at +950, a bet that paid out $262,500.
Portnoy did take some solace in remembering two parlays he had included Florida in that are connected to the Celtics winning the NBA title and the Fever winning the WNBA championship.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.