With just less than five minutes to play in the first-round matchup between Louisiana State and Yale, William Maloney’s bet on the Ivy League school to cover the seven-point spread looked to be in doubt.
The LSU Tigers led by nine points in the game, and Maloney, of Adams County, Iowa, was intently watching one of the massive screens inside the DraftKings Sportsbook at Resorts Casino Hotel. He was surrounded by hundreds of fellow sports gamblers and college basketball fans, but Maloney was so focused on the game, he hardly noticed. “This is torture,” he said, gripping his $500 bet slip.