A narrow loss in South Florida did nothing to change the Buffalo Bills’ championship price tag. Josh Allen and friends still own around +400 Super Bowl odds at most sportsbooks. The Kansas City Chiefs also fell on Sunday, to the Colts, but KC still has the second lowest SB futures with a +750 number at most books.
Super Bowl odds
Here is a look at updated Super Bowl odds from the top sportsbooks in the United States and Canada. Compare futures prices for the 2022 – 2023 NFL season.
Odds to win the Super Bowl 2023
Favorites
Here is a futures report with Super Bowl odds for all 32 pro football teams. We also dish out consistent betting updates on the state of affairs for each National Football League squad and rank them in tiers. First are the favorites to win the NFL championship.
Buffalo Bills (): The Bills haven’t seen any change to their Super Bowl odds after taking a narrow loss in Miami with several starters out. They are still sitting at -250 to win the AFC East and Josh Allen still looks like the MVP favorite after piling up 447 scrimmage yards against the Dolphins.
Kansas City Chiefs (): Expectations were lower after the Chiefs struggled offensively at times last season and then parted ways with Tyreek Hill. Through three weeks their Super Bowl 57 odds have dropped from +1200 at some books to the second favorites at +750, as they look balanced on both sides of the ball.
Philadelphia Eagles (): Given the state of the other contenders in the NFC, the Eagles deserve to enter the realm of the favorites following their third straight dominant win. They have the easiest schedule in the NFL and enough talent to protect home field advantage in the playoffs if they earn the top seed.
Green Bay Packers (): New OC Adam Stenavich and Aaron Rodgers are refashioning the Packers offense to function without top receiver Davante Adams. It’s a work in progress, but Green Bay has the inside track towards another division title with the rest of the NFC North struggling.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (): Tampa has just three TDs through three weeks and Leonard Fournette might not hold up if he continues to average 22 touches per game. Like the Packers, the Bucs can still coast to a division crown without finding their stride on offense until late.
The Contenders
Los Angeles Rams (): Matthew Stafford snapped his ugly streak of five straight regular season games with multiple picks, but the offense was still mostly lackluster in a win over the Cardinals. We’ll see if Sean McVay and his QB can find a middle ground in a crucial Monday night tilt at San Francisco.
Baltimore Ravens (): J.K. Dobbins (ACL) played a limited role in his debut as Lamar Jackson continued to do it all for a Ravens team that is forced to win shootouts until their secondary finds some cohesion.
Miami Dolphins (): Pulling out another unlikely win in which they ran just 39 offensive plays and were out-gained 497-212 by the Bills didn’t give bettors much confidence in the Dolphins. Their Super Bowl odds dropped along with a slight dip in their AFC East odds, but they’re 3-point dogs in Cincinnati Thursday after getting 1.5 points on the opening line.
San Francisco 49ers (): The Niners see a slight decrease in Super Bowl odds from +2000 to +1800 after a narrow loss in Denver. The futures market is higher on this team with Jimmy Garoppolo under center, given his level of experience in the postseason.
Los Angeles Chargers (): While Justin Herbert’s rib injury played a major factor, the Chargers showed weakness in several areas as they were out-coached and out-played at home by the rising Jaguars in Week 3.
Denver Broncos (): Nathaniel Hackett hired Jerry Rosburg as a senior assistant to help with clock management and the Broncos were able to execute a clutch 80-yard scoring drive to beat the Niners and move into second place in the AFC West.
Minnesota Vikings (): The Vikings were +1800 in the wake of their Week 1 win over Green Bay but that looks like it was a flash in the pan. Their desperate comeback to beat the Lions at home did little to inspire confidence in their postseason prospects.
Cincinnati Bengals (): Joe Burrow and company got back on track against the lowly Jets and we’ll see if the Bengals revamped offensive line can hold up against a much more dangerous Dolphins pass rush on Thursday.
The Longshots
Dallas Cowboys (): The Cowboys got defensive to earn a vital home win in Week 2 and will have to rally around Cooper Rush again on Monday night if they want to hand the Giants their first loss of the season.
Indianapolis Colts (): Indy’s defense found a way to slow the Chiefs down to a crawl in the second half and Matt Ryan proved clutch enough to avoid an 0-2-1 start. They host the 1-2 Titans next week in an early AFC South showdown.
Cleveland Browns (): The Browns are an embarrassing collapse away from a 3-0 start without Deshaun Watson (suspension) and they have three more winnable games coming up against the Falcons, Chargers, and Patriots.
Jacksonville Jaguars (): After thrashing the Colts and Chargers in consecutive weeks, it’s time to take the Jags seriously. They’re getting +225 odds to win what might be the worst division in football.
New Orleans Saints (): Alvin Kamara, Micheal Thomas, and Jameis Winston are all banged up as the Saints head to London this week to face the Vikings in a game that might have crucial Wild Card implications down the line.
Las Vegas Raiders (): The Raiders have certainly been competitive in their three losses to open the season, but moral victories certainly won’t cut it in the brutal AFC West.
Arizona Cardinals (): From a live betting perspective, the Cardinals have been getting 19.5 points at some point during the rough first half of each of their last two games, indicating just how disastrous Kliff Kingsbury’s game planning has proven before Kyler Murray tries to ad-lib his way to a victory.
New England Patriots (): A lackluster offense is likely to grow even more conservative with Mac Jones sidelined several weeks due to a painful high-ankle sprain. The Patriots (+2000) are a true longshot to win the AFC East and are down to +350 to make the playoffs.
New York Giants (): Establishing a winning culture should help the Giants resume competency within the next few years, but this roster doesn’t seem capable of winning multiple playoff games as currently constructed.
Tennessee Titans (): While they held on to beat the Raiders, the Titans see their Super Bowl odds lengthen from +6000 to +8000 after another subpar performance on both sides of the ball.
Detroit Lions (): The Lions continue to impress offensively and No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson has jump-started their pass rush to keep things interesting on that side of the ball.
Carolina Panthers (): Baker Mayfield and Matt Rhule can’t take much credit for Carolina’s defensive win over the Saints, which snapped a 9-game losing streak and a 7-game home losing streak for the franchise.
Pittsburgh Steelers (): There is a disquieting sense of Deja Vu around this Steelers team, which stunned the Bills to open last season before sputtering to a halt. They appear to be on the same course after opening with a win (and a T.J. Watt injury) in Cincy this year.
Washington Commanders (): Carson Wentz has been completely overwhelmed over much of Washington’s last two losses with his offensive line unable to provide much protection.
Chicago Bears (): Khalil Herbert stepped in for the injured David Montgomery and Roquan Smith led a defensive effort to lift his team over former Bears coach Lovie Smith and the Texans. Their odds are still lengthening after a 2-1 start.
Atlanta Falcons (): With a bevy of offensive weapons at his disposal, Arthur Smith has fashioned a competent team that seems to be a couple of defensive players away from contending in the weak NFC South.
New York Jets (): The Jets came back to earth in Week 3 after pulling off a miraculous comeback in Cleveland to earn their first win of the year.
Seattle Seahawks (): Pete Carroll and his staff seem to be embracing the rebuild by rotating several running backs and receivers to see what they have going forward.
Houston Texans (): While they’ve been competitive in all three of their games, the Texans seem to lack the talent to finish those contests with wins and they might be hard-pressed to win 4 or 5 games this season.
How Super Bowl odds are changing
Below is a table with odds to win the Super Bowl for each team. The table shows how Super Bowl odds changed during the off-season and how they are changing during the NFL season.
| Team | Opening Super Bowl Odds January 24 | Super Bowl Odds February 14 | Super Bowl odds April 14 | Super Bowl Odds July 6 | Super Bowl Odds September 8 | Super Bowl Odds September 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | +700 | +750 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +800 |
| Buffalo Bills | +800 | +750 | +650 | +600 | +550 | +500 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +1000 | +2200 | +700 | +700 | +700 | +700 |
| LA Rams | +1100 | +1000 | +1000 | +1100 | +1200 | +1500 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1200 | +1600 | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 | +1300 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +1200 | +1400 | +1700 | +1800 | +2200 | +2200 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 | +1600 | +1600 | +2200 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +1400 | +1400 | +1800 | +2200 | +2200 | +2500 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1800 | +2000 | +2200 | +2200 | +2000 | +1700 |
| New England Patriots | +2000 | +2500 | +4000 | +5000 | +5000 | +7000 |
| Tennessee Titans | +2000 | +2200 | +2800 | +3500 | +4000 | +4000 |
| LA Chargers | +2200 | +2500 | +1600 | +1400 | +1400 | +1300 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 | +3500 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Denver Broncos | +2500 | +2000 | +1600 | +1600 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +2800 | +2500 | +2200 | +2200 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Cleveland Browns | +3000 | +3000 | +1700 | +2800 | +5000 | +4000 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +3500 | +3500 | +10000 | +15000 | +15000 | +15000 |
| New Orleans Saints | +3500 | +3500 | +5000 | +5000 | +4000 | +3500 |
| Miami Dolphins | +4000 | +4000 | +3000 | +4000 | +4000 | +3000 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +4000 | +4000 | +4500 | +2500 | +2200 | +1600 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +5000 | +5000 | +3500 | +4000 | +4000 | +5000 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +5000 | +5000 | +6500 | +9000 | +9000 | +7000 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +5000 | +3500 | +4000 | +5000 | +3500 | +2500 |
| Washington Commanders | +5000 | +5000 | +6500 | +7000 | +7000 | +6000 |
| Chicago Bears | +6500 | +8000 | +10000 | +15000 | +15000 | +10000 |
| New York Giants | +6500 | +8000 | +10000 | +13000 | +13000 | +13000 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +6500 | +5000 | +15000 | +20000 | +20000 | +20000 |
| Carolina Panthers | +8000 | +5000 | +10000 | +13000 | +13000 | +15000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +8000 | +10000 | +13000 | +13000 | +13000 | +13000 |
| Detroit Lions | +10000 | +15000 | +15000 | +15000 | +15000 | +13000 |
| Houston Texans | +10000 | +15000 | +20000 | +25000 | +25000 | +20000 |
| New York Jets | +10000 | +15000 | +15000 | +13000 | +13000 | +20000 |
| Team | Super Bowl Odds September 19 |
|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | +400 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +650 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +750 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1400 |
| LA Rams | +1400 |
| LA Chargers | +1500 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1600 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1800 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +1800 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +2000 |
| Miami Dolphins | +2500 |
| Denver Broncos | +2500 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +3500 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | +3500 |
| New Orleans Saints | +4000 |
| Las Vegas Raiders | +4000 |
| Tennessee Titans | +5000 |
| New England Patriots | +5000 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +5000 |
| Indianapolis Colts | +5000 |
| Cleveland Browns | +6000 |
| New York Giants | +7000 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | +8000 |
| Washington Commanders | +8000 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | +8000 |
| Detroit Lions | +8000 |
| Chicago Bears | +10000 |
| Carolina Panthers | +15000 |
| New York Jets | +15000 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +20000 |
| Atlanta Falcons | +25000 |
| Houston Texans | +25000 |
How to watch NFL football
Watching NFL football has never been easier. Each Sunday during the fall and early winter months there are at least 10 games broadcast live on CBS, FOX and NBC. Monday Night Football closes the week on ESPN.
Sundays are huge for fantasy football owners and sports bettors. Keeping track off all the games is tough but the NFL came up with an easy way to digest the action many years ago. It is called the NFL Red Zone channel and you can watch it on TV or live stream it on your phone. It is not free so you will have to pony up if you watch to watch all the games live at the same time.
Super Bowl line
Below is a look at last year’s Big Game and how the odds for the Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl changed in the days leading up to kickoff. The Bengals opened as +4 underdogs against the Rams.
- Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl spread Sunday, January 30: Rams -4, Bengals +4
- Super Bowl spread Monday, January 31: Rams -4.5, Bengals +4.5
- Super Bowl spread Friday, February 4: Rams -4.5, Bengals +4.5
- Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl spread Sunday, February 6: Rams -4, Bengals +4
- Super Bowl spread Monday, February 7: Rams -4.5, Bengals +4.5
- Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl spread Tuesday, February 8: Rams -4, Bengals +4
- Super Bowl spread Wednesday, February 9: Rams -4.5, Bengals +4.5
- Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl spread Thursday, February 10: Rams -4, Bengals +4
- Super Bowl spread Friday, February 11: Rams -4, Bengals +4
- Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl spread Saturday, February 12: Rams -4, Bengals +4
The Rams won the game, 23-20, which means betting LA at -4 would have been a losing bet. Those who got the Bengals at +4 would have won their wager.
Odds to win the Super Bowl
Here is how Super Bowl odds changed over the course of last season. Initial 2021 – 2022 odds to win the Super Bowl were posted on the day of that season’s AFC and NFC title games.
Opening Super Bowl odds for 2021 – 2022
- Kansas City Chiefs +600
- Green Bay Packers +800
- Buffalo Bills +1100
- Baltimore Ravens +1200
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1300
- New Orleans Saints +1500
- San Francisco 49ers +1500
- LA Rams +2000
- Seattle Seahawks +2000
- Cleveland Browns +2000
- LA Chargers +2500
- Miami Dolphins +2500
- Dallas Cowboys +2800
- Indianapolis Colts +2800
- New England Patriots +2800
- Tennessee Titans +2800
- Pittsburgh Steelers +3000
- Minnesota Vikings +3300
- Arizona Cardinals +5000
- Atlanta Falcons +5000
- Chicago Bears +5000
- Philadelphia Eagles +5000
- Carolina Panthers +6000
- Denver Broncos +6000
- Las Vegas Raiders +6000
- Washington Commanders +6000
- Cincinnati Bengals +6600
- Houston Texans +6600
- New York Giants +6600
- Detroit Lions +7500
- New York Jets +9000
The narrative heading into last year’s Big Game
After getting crushed, 41-16, in Cleveland heading into their bye in Week 10, the Bengals had +6000 odds to win the Super Bowl. That was actually a marked improvement from where they opened the season (+10000) and their odds dropped to +15000 at some books following a Week 2 loss at Chicago.
Joe Burrow led his team to three straight wins to make the playoffs, and the Bengals still opened the postseason as a longshot with +2000 odds entering Wild Card weekend. After beating the Raiders and upsetting the Titans, they were listed as 7.5-point underdogs in Kansas City and their odds were the longest (+750) of the remaining four teams. The Bengals were getting +450 odds to win the Super Bowl with the Chiefs (+125) getting the shortest odds of the remaining teams.
Now the Bengals are underdogs once again with +160 odds on the moneyline to take down the Rams on their home turf. The Rams opened as 4-point favorites with a total hovering around 50 points.
The Rams have been in the mix of favorites for a full year thanks to their trade for Matthew Stafford last winter. LA had odds at +1400 to win the Super Bowl just prior to the start of the regular season. With Stafford looking great out of the gates, their odds dropped to +700 following a Week 3 win over the defending champion Bucs, and they held steady despite a couple of early hiccups.
When the Rams traded for Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. ahead of the deadline, their odds dropped to their lowest point (+650) during the regular season. Things didn’t click right away and the Rams dropped three straight games before winning five of their last six to clinch the NFC West.
They entered Wild Card weekend with +850 odds to win it all and were getting +200 odds to get past the 49ers and win the Super Bowl ahead of the NFC Championship game. After overcoming a 10-point fourth quarter deficit against the Niners, the Rams will play in their second Super Bowl in four years. The Rams opened around -200 on the moneyline.
NFL teams by division
We have a detailed review of NFL teams classified by division, making it easy to find Super Bowl odds and futures by team.
How to bet Super Bowl futures
How Super Bowl odds will appear
Super Bowl odds appear in different ways at different sportsbooks. At most US sports betting outlets they will appear as such:
Super Bowl odds to win
- Bills (+550)
- Buccaneers (+700)
- Chiefs (+1000)
- Packers (+1000)
- Rams (+1200)
- Chargers (+1400)
You may also see Super Bowl odds appear like this:
Super Bowl 57 odds
- Bills (11-2)
- Buccaneers (7-1)
- Chiefs (10-1)
- Packers (10-1)
- Rams (12-1)
- Chargers (14-1)
Futures bets
Futures bets are a great way for diehard sports fans to get themselves a little more involved in the upcoming success of their favorite teams and/or players. They can also be a good way for the maligned hometown fan to shift focus a little bit and worry more about the success (or failure) of rival teams.
Fans can put their prediction skills to the test by placing wagers on things such as the Super Bowl LVI champion, division and conference winners, win totals for each team, and individual player awards such as MVP and Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year.
Additionally, many books offer over/under lines on certain yardage or touchdown numbers for specific players or head-to-head options between two stars of a shared position. These are often referred to as “specials.”
Odds on certain futures will often be updated throughout the offseason as players change teams or suffer injuries. Once the season starts, odds can change wildly based on injuries, and fast or slow starts with bettors having to know the difference between pretenders and contenders.
There’s nothing like placing a wager on a longshot early in the offseason and watching the year play out in their, and your, favor. It can be ill-advised to bet on a favorite in the offseason with so much time for things to go against them.
All online sportsbooks come in slightly different layouts, but futures sections are typically in the same general area.
Simply click the “NFL” or “Pro Football” tab on your book of choice. The default screen is generally the Week 1 schedule with all 16 games listed, but in a dropdown menu or separate menu bar, there should be several other options, including futures and specials.
Peruse these sections at your whim, looking for the teams, players, or odds which matter most to you. A wager such as Super Bowl Champions or MVP will have money options listed, whether it be all 32 teams or 30-50 of the league’s biggest stars. Each option will have odds listed next to it.
Betting Super Bowl odds on the Buffalo Bills at +550 means a $100 wager returns $550. A safer bet such as the Bills to win the AFC East comes with diminished -240 odds.
Win totals and player specials typically come in the form of over/unders on a number set by the sportsbook. Each side of the bet will have odds for any result coming in above or below the line.
Best Super Bowl bets
Super Bowl point spread
Betting the Super Bowl point spread will be one of the most popular methods of placing a wager on Super Bowl 57. The point spread is the projected margin of victory set by oddsmakers for the favored team. If a bettor wagers on the favorite to “cover” the point spread, the favorite must not only emerge victorious, but must do so by more than the point spread for the bet to be a winner. If the favorite wins the game but does so by less than the spread – or if it loses the game altogether – the bettor will have lost his/her money wagered.
Super Bowl moneyline
A moneyline wager is a bet on which team will win the game outright, regardless of margin. A moneyline wager is essentially the same type of bet that has been placed among family and friends for decades. When placed with a sportsbook, a moneyline wager pays winning bets based on the odds attached to the wager.
For example, a moneyline wager on the favorite may carry odds of “-110”, meaning a bettor wins $100 for every $110 wagered. Conversely, a moneyline wager on the underdog may carry odds of “+112”, meaning a bettor wins $112 for every $100 bet.
Super Bowl total (over/under)
An over under wager is one that hinges on whether the bettor correctly bet the game’s combined final score would finish over or under the number projected by the sportsbook at the time of the wager. For example, say Super Bowl odds carry a projected total of 49 points. If one wagers the “under” on that figure and the game finishes with a 30-21 final score, the bet is a losing one, since the combined total of that score is 51 points. However, if the game instead finishes 24-21 – a combined score of 45 – then that bet would be a winner.
Super Bowl player prop bets
Player Prop bets are wagers that are based on whether the individual player that’s the subject of the bet falls short of or exceeds certain statistical benchmarks. Sportsbooks typically offer an extensive array of such bets for an event of the magnitude of the Super Bowl. Player prop bets are based on the statistics usually accrued by players at different positions.
A prop bet for a quarterback would be whether the player throws for less or more than 250 yards in the game, for example. For a running back, an example would be whether the player receivers less or more than 20 carries. As for a receiver, an available prop wager could be based on whether the player falls below or exceeds a certain number of receptions during the game.
Even non-skill position players such as kickers or even an entire defensive unit can be the subject of prop bets. A standard prop bet for a kicker could be based on whether the player will successfully hit more or less than a certain number of field goals, or whether they will miss an extra point. For a defense, prop bets could be based on whether that unit will give up a certain amount of points, or whether it will score a touchdown on an interception or fumble return.
Player prop bets are most often graded on full-game statistics, but there are also prop bets that are based on statistics accrued during a specific quarter or specific half of a game.
Exotic Super Bowl prop bets
Prop bets for major events such as a Super Bowl can also center on outcomes that aren’t based on traditional in-game statistics. For example, a prop bet can be placed on whether the game-opening coin toss comes up as heads or tails or which team will win the toss; the color of the Gatorade that is dumped on the winning team’s coach; and what the jersey number of one of the players who scores during the game might be.
There are even prop wagers based on the two flagship non-sports events associated with the game – the National Anthem and the halftime show. Bettors can place wagers on contingencies such as the length of time of the National Anthem, whether the performer will omit a word, whether a certain celebrity will make an unexpected appearance during the halftime festivities or how many songs will be performed by the halftime act.
Betting on Super Bowl MVP
The most prestigious individual Super Bowl-related award is that of Most Valuable Player. While any player is technically eligible for the distinction, the best odds by and far lie with the quarterback position, which has taken home 31 of the 55 MVP awards in Super Bowl history. Five quarterbacks have won the MVP award on multiple occasions. The Patriots’ Tom Brady leads the way with five. The 49ers’ Joe Montana follows with three. Meanwhile, the Packers’ Bart Starr, the Steelers’ Terry Bradshaw and the Giants’ Eli Manning each garnered two apiece.
Even when a future Hall of Famer like Brady is on the winning side, it’s important to remember there is no such thing as a surefire bet. In the Patriots’ win over the Rams in February of 2019, receiver Julian Edelman earned MVP honors with a 10-reception, 141-yard tally.
Alternate Lines for the Super Bowl
Alternate lines are those offered by sportsbooks as secondary options to the official point spread that has been set. These lines feature an extensive array of different point spreads for both the favorite and underdog side of the game. These lines typically begin at points well above the number associated with each team in the official game line and range well into the other side of the bet, i.e. allowing for a heavy favorite to be bet as a heavy underdog and vice versa.
To cite an example from this past season’s Chiefs – Bucs Super Bowl matchup, Kansas City entered the game as 3-point favorites at many sportsbooks. Alternate lines offered could have included a wagering opportunity on the Chiefs as seven-point favorites instead. Moreover, that bet would have included a very favorable “price” – the preset ratio at which the bet would pay out – due to the much lower probability of the Chiefs not only winning, but winning by more than a touchdown.
Super Bowl live betting
Live betting offers bettors the opportunity to place wagers on the point spread, moneyline or projected total of a game as odds on each fluctuate depending on the flow of a game. With a live betting option, a bettor doesn’t have to be locked into just the wagers they placed prior to the start of the game or at halftime. Rather, if, for example, the favored team unexpectedly falls behind by a two-touchdown margin in the first half, the bettor can hedge his original wager by investing in a new line with odds that reflect how the game is unfolding.
Best Super Bowl betting sites and bonuses
Legal sports betting is progressively expanding across the United States.
Bettors should particularly be aware of these sportsbooks, which all have Super Bowl odds posted:
DraftKings Sportsbook — Available in NY, NJ, PA, IN, NH, MI, VA, IA, CO, WV, TN, AZ and IL
FanDuel Sportsbook — Available in NY, NJ, PA, IN, MI, VA, CO, WV, TN, AZ and IL
BetMGM — Available in NJ, IN, CO, TN, MI, VA, PA, IA, AZ and WV
All three sportsbooks will have a wide selection of special offers and promotions for Super Bowl LV aimed at both first-time and existing customers.
Betting tips and strategies
Line shopping and getting the best number
With any purchase, shopping for the best price is advisable. Sports betting is no different. The “prices” associated with sports betting are the odds attached to each wager that determine the payout if the bet is a winner. Other sportsbook-to-sportsbook variables that are important for a better to also be conscious of include possible differences in the point spread and projected total posted for a particular game.
The original lines set by oddsmakers when a game is first posted can often be the “sharpest”, i.e. most difficult to consistently beat over time. Therefore, the biggest edge can often come from waiting things out and seeing what way the betting public’s wagers move a point spread as a game draws closer. Factors such as faulty “groupthink” can sometimes alter a team’s projected advantage to the extent it creates a tangible edge for a sharp bettor.
One caveat about the Super Bowl is that no one NFL game sees its line affected more by “sharp money.” Therefore, line movement for this particular game is often the byproduct of bets placed based on an effective process more than any other during the season.
Fading the public
The strategy of betting against the most popular side of a bet can pay off on occasion. It is not a strategy that’s necessarily advisable to be utilized with great frequency, however. There are certain instances when the general public’s infatuation with a certain team’s reputation (or in some cases, even certain superstar players such as Patrick Mahomes) can lead to a notable amount of money being wagered on that team. The line, in turn, could move to a point where a team is favored by an increasingly unrealistic amount of points.
By “fading the public” in such an instance, a bettor could exploit the situation and place a winning bet on the underdog to slide in under the spread. The same could hold true for a projected total that gets bet up to a certain level due to the offensive reputations of one or both of the teams.
Using advanced metrics
While many bettors likely put only a modest amount of what could accurately be termed “research” before placing a wager, there’s certainly no shortage of metrics available to be evaluated for those who wish to avail themselves. For team-based wagers such as moneylines, point spreads and projected totals, bettors can review the history of each team’s performance in each category.
However, where advanced metrics can be particularly helpful is when making individual- or team-based prop wagers. Statistical trends can certainly help a bettor make an informed decision on whether a certain receiver is likely to exceed a certain amount of catches versus a certain opponent’s defense, for example. The same could apply to countless other such prop wagers, such as a quarterback reaching the 300-yard threshold and a running back eclipsing the 100-yard mark, to cite just two other examples.
A good example from a recent Super Bowl was the matchup between the Chiefs and 49ers, involving San Francisco star tight end George Kittle. Say a sportsbook offered a prop wager on Kittle making over/under five catches. A bettor evaluating this wager might have gone with the Over when considering Kansas City faced the second-most tight end targets (141) in the league last season and tied for the third-most catches (96) allowed to the position. Kittle finished the game with four catches, just slightly under the number – a win for Under bettors.
Middling
“Middling” a game is defined as a bettor placing wagers on both sides of the contest. Football is considered the most popular sport to utilize this strategy. Because it involves placing more than one wager on a game, middling can be a strategy that’s rarely used by novice bettors. However, it ironically helps mitigate the risk involved by significantly upping the chances of one of the two bets being a winner.
Middling is typically made possible when there is notable line movement on a game within a week. Using an example from the Super Bowl LV Chiefs-Bucs matchup, hypothetically, say Kansas City opened up as a three-point favorite. A bettor initially places a wager on this line, but over the course of the two weeks, the line is bet up even further to a seven-point projected advantage for KC. That same bettor then places a bet on the Bucs +7, i.e. San Francisco to lose by six points or less or win outright.
In this example, the bettor is a winner on both bets if either:
- The Chiefs win by four points or more.
- The Bucs lose by six points or less or win outright.
Taking advantage of free bets and promotions
Legal, regulated sportsbooks typically offer a variety of enticing promotions, for both first-time and existing customers. Those offers are even more prominent for an event the magnitude of the Super Bowl. Bettors should therefore be on the lookout for such offers as soon as the participants for Super Bowl LIV are decided in this coming weekend’s conference championship games.
Examples of special offers and promotions include:
- Risk free bets up to a certain amount. This year, DraftKings Sportsbook offering first-time depositors up to $500 worth of risk-free bets on the game by matching a first bet up to $500. New accounts will also get $25 in free bets just for signing up — no deposit necessary!
- Special odds boosts on certain wagers.
- A variety of potential special offers involving prop bets, parlays, teasers and other bet types.
Which US states allow betting on the Super Bowl?
Those physically located within a total of 18 states will have the option of placing wagers on Super Bowl LV at a legal, regulated sportsbook. Of those jurisdictions, eight of them offer bettors the option of placing a bet through either a sportsbook’s website/mobile wagering app or its physical retail location. Another five currently only allow wagering at physical sportsbooks.
By Super Bowl LVI in February 2022, several more states should have legal sports betting options available. That number is expected to increase based on a certain amount of sports betting bills across the country gaining passage during 2021.
The following states already offer legal online sports betting options:
| State | Law Passed? | Launch Date | Mobile Launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Sports Betting | Yes | September 2021 | September 2021 |
| Arkansas Sports Betting | Yes | July 2019 | NA |
| Colorado Sports Betting | Yes | May 2020 | May 2020 |
| Connecticut Sports Betting | Yes* | September 2021 | October 2021 |
| Delaware Sports Betting | Yes | June 2018 | Pending |
| Florida Sports Betting | Yes* | Pending | Pending |
| Illinois Sports Betting | Yes | March 2020 | August 2020 |
| Indiana Sports Betting | Yes | September 2019 | October 2019 |
| Iowa Sports Betting | Yes | August 2019 | August 2019 |
| Louisiana Sports Betting | Yes | October 2021 | January 2022 |
| Maryland Sports Betting | Yes | Pending | Pending |
| Michigan Sports Betting | Yes | March 2020 | January 2021 |
| Mississippi Sports Betting | Yes | August 2018 | September 2021 |
| Montana Sports Betting | Yes | March 2020 | March 2020 |
| Nevada Sports Betting | Yes | 1949 | 2010 |
| New Hampshire Sports Betting | Yes | August 2020 | December 2019 |
| New Jersey Sports Betting | Yes | June 2018 | August 2018 |
| New Mexico Sports Betting | No* | October 2018 | NA |
| New York Sports Betting | Yes | July 2019 | January 2022 |
| North Carolina Sports Betting | Yes | March 2021 | NA |
| Oregon Sports Betting | No* | August 2019 | October 2019 |
| Pennsylvania Sports Betting | Yes | November 2018 | May 2019 |
| Rhode Island Sports Betting | Yes | November 2018 | September 2019 |
| South Dakota Sports Betting | Yes | September 2021 | NA |
| Tennessee Sports Betting | Yes | November 2020 | November 2020 |
| Virginia Sports Betting | Yes | January 2021 | January 2021 |
| Washington, D.C. Sports Betting | Yes | May 2020 | August 2020 |
| Washington Sports Betting | Yes | September 2021 | NA |
| West Virginia Sports Betting | Yes | August 2018 | August 2019 |
| Wyoming Sports Betting | Yes | September 2021 | September 2021 |
The above list will be growing longer before too long.
How much money is bet on the Super Bowl?
The Super Bowl is annually the most lucrative single-event sports betting opportunity. It is estimated that nearly $600 million was legally bet on last year’s Super Bowl between the Bengals and Rams.
At many sportsbooks, proposition bets constitute more than half of the wagers and amount placed for the Super Bowl. With the ongoing expansion of legalized, regulated sports wagering across the United States, the total “handle” – the cumulative amount wagered on the game – should continue to edge upward for several years based solely on the increase in legal betting opportunities for sports fans.