The NCAA has filed a complaint against DraftKings in the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, seeking a temporary restraining order over the sportsbook operator's use of federally registered tournament trademarks, including March Madness, Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen.
The governing body for college sports alleged in its filing on Friday, March 20 that DraftKings used the marks in marketing activity and promotional campaigns without authorization during the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.
The NCAA stated: “The use of its trademarks was flatly contrary to one of the Association's most deeply held institutional values: that sports betting must not be associated with, endorsed by, or linked to NCAA championships or the student-athletes who compete in them."
It also said that continued use of the marks exposed "millions of sports fans" and "college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm" to what it described as a false suggestion that the association had approved DraftKings' platform.
According to the NCAA, that creates confusion among member schools and student-athletes over whether the association is involved with or endorses betting on its events.
The statement added that this runs against its education, integrity monitoring, anti-harassment and advocacy efforts, particularly in relation to prop betting.
DraftKings is one of several sportsbook operators that have used March Madness-related language across betting platforms during the current tournament period, when wagering activity typically rises alongside national attention on college basketball.
The legal action adds to growing friction between NCAA leadership and regulated betting markets in the US. Earlier in the same week, NCAA president Charlie Baker sent a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission asking federal regulators to suspend prediction market trading on college sports events.
The NCAA has also shifted its position on athlete betting rules in recent months. In October, it announced that college athletes would be allowed to bet on professional sports, before reversing course after Division I schools voted to keep restrictions on betting across both college and professional sports.
Earlier this month, DraftKings said it would roll out account linking services with ESPN ahead of the 2026 NCAA tournaments, including the Bet Your Bracket feature tied to tournament selections. The initiative formed part of a broader push around college basketball season and followed the operator's introduction of its DraftKings Sports & Casino platform.
The NCAA's complaint specifically targets trademark use in promotions, rather than the legality of sports betting itself
