On March 20, 2026, the NCAA filed a lawsuit against DraftKings, accusing the operator of using the “March Madness”, “NCAA Sweet Sixteen”, “Elite Eight”, and “Final Four”...
DraftKings insists NCAA March Madness terms are universally recognized
After DraftKings was sued by the NCAA for March Madness trademark usage, the operator is now insisting that terms like March Madness are universally recognized for the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s college basketball tournament.
The NCAA filed a federal lawsuit against DraftKings on March 20, 2026, accusing the operator of trademark infringement and demanding a temporary restraining order (TRO) to prohibit it from using the terms associated with the tournament.
In response, DraftKings stated:
“March Madness, Final Four, Elite Eight, and Sweet Sixteen are the universally recognised names for the tournaments and their rounds, used by millions of college basketball fans, journalists, and participants in the sports betting ecosystem. They are the same words used by other online sportsbooks, who have not been singled out by the NCAA’s fevered complaint.”
The operator also added that the NCAA’s TRO request is baseless and a manufactured emergency.
The NCAA’s lawsuit claimed:
“The NCAA has always refused to align its brand, tournaments, or the participating student‑athletes with sports betting, reflecting a core institutional principle and formal policy, as well as the NCAA’s strongly held belief that sports betting jeopardises competitive integrity, endangers student‑athletes, and invites manipulation of games.”
The NCAA once again stressed that the complaint against the operator is an important step in its mission to protect the integrity of the competition and student-athlete well-being.
Q4 of 2025 in the iGaming industry closed out a very busy year. Betsson, BetMGM, Flutter, Entain, Wynn Resorts, and DraftKings all had a fair share of wins and challenges,...
