US Workers Place Bets in Unusual Office Pools

March 19, 2009

This article is included in these additional categories:

Analytics, Automated & MarTech | Media & Entertainment | Men | Trade Shows & Events | Women

The annual NCAA Basketball Tournament kicks into high gear this week in the US, and nearly one-fifth (18%) of American workers say they have participated in “March Madness” office betting pools, according to a survey from CareerBuilder.com, conducted by Harris Interactive.

The study finds that, not surprisingly, men are more likely to get in on March Madness in the office than women. Nearly one-quarter (24%) of male workers say they have participated in March Madness pools in the office, compared with 11% of females.

More workers in the Midwest have played March Madness brackets than any other region, CareerBuilder said. Nearly a quarter (23%) of workers in the Midwest said they have bet on a March Madness pool at work, compared with 18% in the Northeast, 16% in the South and 15% in the West.

Other Unusual Pools

March Madness isn’t the only reason workers are signing up for office pools, the survey found. Respondents also report the most unusual office pools they’ve placed bets on:

  • How far the Dow Jones would drop that week.
  • Number of emails new manager would send in one day.
  • Who in the office would win a burrito-eating contest.
  • When the gigantic snow pile in the parking lot would melt.
  • Co-workers’ cholesterol numbers.
  • When the building would be condemned.
  • How long it would take for someone to break up.
  • Who would be the next Pope.

About the survey: The survey was conducted online within the US by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com,? among 8,038 US employees (employed full-time; not self-employed; non government) ages 18+ . The survey was fielded between November 12 and December 1, 2008.

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