It is that time of the year again. Super Bowl Sunday is one week away. The San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens take the field on February 3rd. It is by far the most bet on sporting event in the United States each year.
An estimated $10 billion is wagered on the Super Bowl each year. Only about 1% of that will be wagered in Nevada sports books. The remainder will be bet among friends, through offshore sports books, legal brick and mortar betting shops in other countries or among friends. A portion of this money will be wagered on which wins the Super Bowl or covers the 3.5 point spread. The rest will be wagered on proposition bets.
Some of these prop bets are ridiculous to most people. They start out as rather sane, such as special point spreads, scoring totals or who scores first and last. Other common props include over/unders on yards for players, teams and what the margin of victory will be.
Some sports bettors look for the most ridiculous prop bets to place their wagers before the big game. These are some of those ridiculous Super Bowl prop bets.
National Anthem Betting
The first wager to be decided in this year’s Super Bowl will be how long the National Anthem takes to sing. This year’s National Anthem artist is Alicia Keys. The standard over/under is around 2 minutes and 15 seconds. This is about 30 seconds longer than most of the past Star Spangled Banner props have been. There is no known recording of Keys ever having performed the National Anthem so your guess is as good as anyone’s as to whether it will be over or under two minutes and 15 seconds.
Bodog’s US facing brand Bovada has some even crazier prop bet on this.
- Will Keys get booed during her performance? Yes pays 5-1
- Will Keys forget or omit at least one word? Yes pays +170. If you think Keys can perform the National Anthem without an error then you can lay -250 on it.
- Will Keys add a word? Yes pays 2-1, while no requires a 3-1 lay.
Coin Toss Betting
Next we move to the coin toss. Bettors may choose whether the coin toss is heads or tails, who wins the toss and who kicks off first. All of these pay even money minus a small vig.
Halftime Show
Maybe halftime shows are more your thing. Beyonce is this year’s halftime performer.
- Will Jay Z join her at any time? The books do not think so. You will need to lay 3-2 if you agree. If you think Jay Z will make an appearance then you can get slightly better than even money.
- Will Beyonce enter the stage with straight or curly hair? Straight hair is the underdog.
- What color will Beyonce’s hair be when she starts her performance? The favorite is +225 for black hair. There are eight other colors to choose from though. The biggest payback is blue or green. Those both pay 15-1.
- Maybe you want to see Beyonce flirt with a wardrobe malfunction. BetOnline says she is a 5-1 favorite to show cleavage during her first song.
Harbaugh Family Props
As you probably know, the Harbaugh brothers are coaching in what has been dubbed HarBowl. Their parents must have a hard time with this. This creates a betting opportunity though.
- Will their parents be shown on TV wearing a Ravens or 49ers logo? Yes pays 3-1.
- How many times will they be shown on TV? The over/under is two.
This must be tough on the brothers too. The hug and handshake at the end of the game is sure to be emotional. How emotional? Bovada says it will last 7.5 seconds. You can bet the over or under there.
Feel like doing some counting during the game? The over/under on the word “Harbaugh” being said during the game is 20.5. You can also bet on whether Jim or John’s first name is mentioned more by Jim Nantz and Phil Simms.
Will a Player Get Arrested?
Do you feel a crime spree by a player the night before the Super Bowl? Bovada will pay you 5-1 if you bet a player is arrested at any point before the game in New Orleans.
Gatorade Shower
The traditional Gatorade shower has not been spared from the degenerate gambling either. What color will it be? Water pays +175 but if you are feeling adventurous then you can bet blue, green or red for +650. Bovada also offers orange or yellow for +250.
Super Bowl MVP
You may bet on a variety of players to win the MVP award. You can also take the field. The quarterbacks are the most favored. Ray Lewis pays 10-1 to win the Super Bowl MVP.
Post Game Interviews
The Super Bowl MVP is always an emotional interview. The player is on top of the world when they are approached by the cameras. Who will they thank first? Their teammates pays +140. God pays +250, while coach or family pays 12-1. Will the Super Bowl MVP be selfish and not thank anyone? You will win 2-1 if they head back to the locker room without any thank yous.
Ray Lewis is sure to be interviewed at the end of the game after announcing his retirement. How many times will he thank God or Lord? The over/under is 3.
TV and Social Media Ratings
Maybe you are into TV ratings. The number of viewers over/under is 111 million. Which Super Bowl city will have a higher rating? Baltimore is favored 2-1.
A bet that could not have existed just a few years ago is the peak number of tweets per second. Bovada says that number will be 15,000.
How Much Will Other People Bet?
Maybe you want to bet on betting. BetOnline offers the over/under on the total Nevada Super Bowl wagered amount at $90.5 million. Last year, the Nevada handle was $91 million.
Cross Sports Props
There are also cross sports props. Will Sidney Crosby have more shots on goal in his NHL game vs Washington than Torrey Smith will have receptions in the Super Bowl? Maybe college hoops are more your style. Will Trevor Mbakwe have more rebounds in his game against Iowa that day than Patrick Willis has tackles and assists?
As you see, the Super Bowl can be entertaining beyond what happens on the field. Online sports books have gotten very creative with their prop bets offered. You will not find these types of bets in Nevada sports books. That is because Nevada gaming law requires any outcome that can be bet must have an official, verifiable outcome. Nobody is keeping official stats on whether Beyonce will show cleavage or whether the coaches hug for more than 7.5 seconds. This means if you want to wager on these types of wagers you will need to go offshore.
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