We have all heard the customary pre-Super Bowl talk. Breaking down the game, analyzing matchups and interesting story lines, and making predictions.
However, one of the biggest things talked about before the big game is prop bets, something that have become increasingly popular over the last several Super Bowls. Now, for the first time ever, sports gambling is federally legal for the biggest event on the sports calendar.
Eight states have made sports betting legal since the Supreme Court made the landmark decision last May to make gambling on sporting events federally legal. Prior to this, only Nevada accepted legal sports bets.
This year, over 1 million people are expected to place bets on the Super Bowl, according to Reuters. The total amount wagered is expected to be around $325 million.
Now, fans aren’t forced to settle for off-shore betting sites to place their bets on the big game. Daily fantasy websites such as DraftKings and FanDuel have opened sportsbooks online for fans to use in select locations, and each offer a wealth of betting options for Super Bowl LIII.
Every Super Bowl will feature a wide range of prop bet options, with the common ones consisting of whether the coin toss will be heads or tails, who will score the first touchdown, and what color the Gatorade dumped on the winning Head Coach will be.
(Photo: Getty Images)
Prop bets have become more popular due to their attractiveness to more casual viewers of the NFL, and the props are determined through arduous research to determine interesting trends from off-the-field aspects.
“Without question, the masses control this game,” said Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading at William Hill PLC. “They’re betting all the props, and the game itself.”
Maroon 5’s halftime performance also has a series of prop bets attached, including which song the band will perform first, as well as if any of the performers will be wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey.
There is even a prop bet on whether or not President Donald Trump’s approval rating the day after the Super Bowl will be higher than the yardage of the longest field goal made in the game.
The Super Bowl has turned into a de facto national holiday in the United States. It has become an annual day of gathering with friends and family to eat, drink and watch the premiere event of the football season. Legalized gambling has added to this, and federally legal sports betting will see the number of people betting on the big game skyrocket from years past.
Whether it’s doing boxes, betting on the spread, or trying to cash in on one of the many prop bets, legalized sports betting has introduced a new way for fans to enjoy the most popular sporting event in the country.