OUR CHANCES FOR RAIN THIS WEEK TOO. ALL RIGHT DAVE, THANK YOU. AND TULIP SEASON BEGINS THIS WEEK AT DEWBERRY FARMS IN KERNERSVILLE. WHILE MOST PLANTS DON’T LIKE THE FREEZING WEATHER, GROWERS THERE TELL US THE COLD IS ACTUALLY GOOD FOR THE TULIPS. THE SEASON FOR THE FLOWERS IS 3 TO 4 WEEKS DEPENDING. OF COURSE, ON THE FORECAST. THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE IS CONDUCTING A PRESCRIBED BURN THIS WEEK IN THE UWHARRIE NATIONAL FOREST. WE ARE TOLD THIS WILL AFFECT 367 ACRES AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY ON MOCCASIN CREEK ROAD AND WOLF DEN. THIS IS TO REDUCE POTENTIAL WILDFIRE FUELS ON THE FOREST FLOOR. IT WILL ALSO SUPPORT NATIVE FIRE ADAPTED PLANT SPECIES. PEOPLE COULD SEE HELICOPERS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT IN THAT AREA, AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF LATER THIS WEEK. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NORTH CAROLINA ONLINE SPORTS BETTING WILL BE LEGAL. WHILE THOSE GAMES ARE BEING PLAYED, WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE THIS MONDAY NIGHT. WE START WITH JOSHUA DAVIS. HE HAS A CLOSER LOOK AT HOW THE WAGERING WILL WORK. EVERY MARCH, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HOOPS AND EVEN THOUGH THE NCAA TOURNAMENT ALREADY GENERATES A TON OF ATTENTION, EXPERTS EXPECT THAT LEGALIZED SPORTS GAMBLING WILL DRIVE IT UP EVEN FURTHER. IT IS THE LARGEST BETTING MOMENT ON THE CALENDAR. JOE MALONEY IS THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN GAMING ASSOCIATION. HE SAYS THE TIMING OF SPORTS BETTING BEING LEGALIZED IN NORTH CAROLINA COULDN’T BE BETTER, AND THAT NORTH CAROLINA, AMONG OTHER STATES, WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A HUGE REVENUE BOOM THAT WE’RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT. THE DATA ACROSS THE NEARLY 38 STATES AND NOW THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THAT IS LEGAL AND ARRIVE AT AN ESTIMATE FOR THE LEGAL AMOUNT THAT WILL BE WAGERED IN LEGAL AND REGULATED STATES. THAT NUMBER SITS ACCORDING TO OUR ESTIMATES, WITH THE AJGA AT $2.72 BILLION. HE ADDS. THAT NUMBER INCLUDES BETTING ON MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS AND BRACKET CHALLENGES. TODD MCFALL, AN ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AT WAKE FOREST, SAYS EVEN IF YOU WERE TO PICK THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE TOURNAMENT, THAT’S NOT A BET YOU COULD REALISTICALLY CASH IN ON THE. EACH OF THESE GAMES WERE A COIN FLIP WHERE HAW RIVER ONE HALF TO THE 63RD POWER WOULD BE WOULD BE THE ODDS OF GETTING A PERFECT BRACKET. SO IT’S CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN THAT. BUT NONETHELESS, IT’D BE LIKE CATCHING A METEOR COMING FROM EARTH, COMING FROM SPACE BEFORE IT HITS THE EARTH. LIKE JUST ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY IMPROBABLE. HE ADDS. THE BIGGEST THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS WITH GAMBLING IS THAT IT? IT IT’S ENTERTAINMENT. AND AS LONG AS YOU LIKE, STICK STRICT TO A BUDGET FOR ENTERTAINMENT, IT’S NOT A PROBLEM. UH, I THINK THAT THE PROBLEM THAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE SOME WITH GAMBLING IS THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE A HARD TIME STICKING WITH THEIR BUDGETS. IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE FIND YOURSELF STRUGGLING WITH PROBLEM GAMBLING, YOU CAN CALL THE NUMBER AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN. WE’LL ALSO HAVE A LINK TO RESOURCES ON WXII. 12.COM IN WINSTON-SALEM. I’M JOSHUA DAVIS FOR WXII 12 NEWS AND OUT OF THE 64 TEAMS IN THE BIG DANCE, OUR SPORTS TEAM IS HITTING THE ROAD WITH THREE OF OUR OWN. CHANEL PORTER JOINS US IN STUDIO TONIGHT WITH A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE LOCAL TEAMS. CHANEL. WELL, THE BIG QUESTION WE’RE ALL WONDERING RIGHT NOW IS WHO’S GOING TO BLOW UP OUR BRACKETS? THERE’S ALWAYS A DARLING OF THE TOURNAMENT, THERE’S ALWAYS UPSETS, AND THERE’S ALWAYS A WHOLE LOT OF MADNESS. HERE’S THE MATCHUPS FOR OUR NORTH CAROLINA TEAMS. THE TAR HEELS COMING IN AS THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE WEST REGION. WE’LL BE TAKING THE SHORT TRIP TO CHARLOTTE TO TAKE ON EITHER HOWARD OR WAGNER AS THE 16 SEED ON THURSDAY AT 245. ALSO ON THURSDAY, THE ACC CHAMPS NC STATE WILL TAKE THE TRIP TO PITTSBURGH AS THE 11TH SEED IN THE SOUTH REGION TO FACE TEXAS TECH IN A LATE TIP AT 940, STAYING IN THE SOUTH, DUKE IS GOING TO BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, EARNING A FOUR SEED TO FACE VERMONT FRIDAY AT 710. AS FOR WAKE FOREST, THE DEACS WILL BE WATCHING THE MADNESS FROM THE OUTSIDE FOR THE SEVENTH STRAIGHT YEAR. HOWEVER, WAKE FOREST THE SEASON IS NOT DONE JUST YET. THE DEACS COMING IN AS THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE NIT TOURNAMENT, WILL BE AT THE JOEL WEDNESDAY EVENING, HOSTING APP STATE. IN THE FIRST ROUND. WE ALSO HAVE THREE WOMEN’S TEAMS THAT HAVE PUNCHED THEIR TICKET INTO THE