How To Bet the Super Bowl

How To Bet On Super Bowl Odds

The Super Bowl is the most heavily bet on sporting event in America, whether it’s wagering with sportsbooks or playing in various pools with friends and families. Whatever your style of Super Bowl gaming is, RYP has you covered! Check out how to bet the Super Bowl, different ways to bet on the Super Bowl and the best ways to bet on the Super Bowl. 

How To Bet On The 2023 Super Bowl 

Despite the magnitude of the game, betting the Super Bowl is no different than betting other football games (for the most part). Just like any game, the Super Bowl has its popular markets such as the moneyline, spread or point total (over/under).

Live betting is another popular style to bet on in the Super Bowl, while parlays are the most popular and fun style to bet. Props and futures bets are also ones to consider, so let’s break it all down!

Moneyline

The moneyline is the simplest market to bet on with the Super Bowl, simply picking a winner no matter how many points they win by. When betting the moneyline, the team you bet on just needs to win the game. 

For this reason, this market is usually the most expensive if picking a favorite. If picking an underdog, it could be the most lucrative Let’s use the moneyline example below.

Bengals +250

Rams -150

The Bengals moneyline is +250 and the Rams moneyline is -150. Whenever a team has a positive moneyline, they are the underdog. Whenever a team has a negative moneyline, they are the favorite. Favorites are always more expensive because they are expected to win the game. 

If a Super Bowl bettor wants to bet on the Rams to win, it will cost them $150 to win back $250 ($150 wagered + $100 in winnings). If a Super Bowl bettor wants to be on the Bengals, it will cost them $100 to win back $350 ($100 wagered + $250 in winnings). 

Spread

The spread is the most popular market Super Bowl bettors wager on. This market is also known as the ‘ATS’, which stands for ‘Against The Spread’. In this market, the team you wager on must win or lose the game by a certain amount of points.

It’s much more difficult to successfully win the spread market than it is the moneyline market, so the price is usually cheaper. Let’s break it down in the example below. 

Bengals +3.5 (-110)

Rams -3.5 (-110)

In this example, the spread is 3.5 and the price for it is -110. That means bettors, regardless if taking Bengals +3.5 or Rams -3.5, must wager $110 to win back $210 ($110 wagered + $100 in winnings). For bettors to successfully win this bet, the team selected must ‘cover’ the spread. What does that mean?

Using the example above, the Rams must beat the Bengals by four points or more in order for Rams bettors to win.  If the Rams lose the game or only win by three points or less, the Bengals would ‘cover’ the spread and Bengals bettors would win.  

Just like the moneyline market, the negative numbered spread indicates the favorite while the positive numbered spread indicates the underodg. 

Over/Under

Many bettors are uncertain about which team will win a game or cover the spread. This leads them to the point total market, also known as the Over/Under (O/U). This is the final popular market in most sports, and a great alternative for those undecided on a game winner.

Along with the moneyline and spread, the point total is also listed for the Super Bowl. The point total is the set number in which sportsbooks believe the total amount of points scored will accumulate to. Super Bowl bettors can wager on whether the combined points from both teams will go ‘Over’ or ‘Under’ the set number. 

If a Super Bowl bettor believes the defenses will keep the scoring low, then the ‘Under’ becomes a top play. If a bettor thinks the offenses will put up big numbers, then the ‘Over’ would be a popular pick. Let’s use the example below for a visual of the point total market, which is highlighted in bold. 

Bengals +3.5 (-110), O 45.5 (-110)

Rams -3.5 (-110), U 45.5 (-110)

The point total is typically listed next to the spread. In this case, the total is set at 45.5 and the asking price is -110 each way. Just like the spread market, it will cost bettors $110 to win back $210 ($110 wagered + $100 in winnings) for picking either the Over or the Under.

If a Super Bowl bettor thinks the combined point total from both teams will reach 46 points or more, then the Over would be the pick. If the bettor believes the Bengals and Rams will combine for 45 points or fewer, then the Under is the play. 

Live Betting

If bettors want to wait for the game to start before wagering, they can ‘live bet’ the Super Bowl. While the game is being played, sportsbooks change the odds based on the live results of the game. 

If the Bengals start the game as the underdog but score first, the live odds might shift to see Cincinnati as the new favorite or at the very least shorten the spread.  

Live betting the Super Bowl can be fun, but it’s very focus-demanding and all about timing. You would have to watch the game while hovering over a laptop or phone all night. It’s also only effective for mobile and online bettors, although possible for land-based casino players.

Parlays

Super Bowl parlays are some of the most popular styles of betting. Why is that? Because in a parlay, bettors compile two or more wagers to put on one betting ticket. The more wagers a bettor places on one ticket, the higher the payout and the cheaper the cost. 

These are cheap and lots of fun to track, but very difficult to hit. It’s tough enough to hit one or two wagers, but to hit multiple wagers is very hard to accomplish. That’s why the asking price is cheap and the payout is high.

Most sportsbooks use parlay loss money to pay off winning tickets, and the market as a whole is known as ‘fool’s gold’. Nonetheless, it’s still the most fun style of wagering and most popular market as well.

Futures Bets

Super Bowl futures bets are placed before the game starts, typically before the playoffs even begin. The ‘futures’ market for any sport refers to, you guessed it, the future. 

This includes anything from MVP, to Super Bowl winner, to Conference Championship winners, to Coach of the Year. The value for this market opens high, but as the season goes on the odds shorten. 

The Bengals might open the season with Super Bowl futures odds at +5000 to win. By the time they clinch the playoffs, those odds might shrink to +1000 to win. Futures bets provide great value but the real value comes early in the season, when the field is also large. 

The Bengals +5000 Super Bowl futures odds to open the season are measured against all 32 teams. The odds shorten to +1000 because the field shortens from 32 to just 16 teams. 

The only Super Bowl futures bet available to take right before the game starts is the Super Bowl MVP market. Super Bowl bettors can wager on which player will win the Super Bowl MVP Award prior to kickoff.

Game-Based Prop Bets

Prop bets are a fun and popular market to wager on in the Super Bowl, and a great way to form a pool with friends and family. Game props, team props and player props are all popular markets in Super Bowl betting.

Some prop markets are only offered in the Super Bowl, and no other football game. The exotic wagers and novelty markets are both fun and unique to try. Let’s get into all the prop style bets you can make during the Super Bowl

First Touchdown

This is a popular prop bet, as Super Bowl bettors wager on which player will score the game’s first touchdown. The value for this market is about four-digits across the board. 

Anytime Touchdown

This market presents plus-value for every player except star running backs and wide receivers. For a Super Bowl bettor to win this market, the player selected must score a rushing or receiving touchdown at any point of the game. 

Game Props

This market references different props for different outcomes throughout the game. Examples of game props include ‘Which team will score the first points?’ or ‘Which team will score 20 points first?’.

Team Props

This market references different props surrounding each team. Props in this market might include ‘Will the Bengals score over 13.5 points in the first half?’ or ‘Will the Rams kick over 2.5 field goals in the game?’.

Player Props

Super Bowl bettors can not only wager on which players will score touchdowns, but they can also wager on other markets for players as well. 

If a bettor isn’t sure Ja’Marr Chase will score a touchdown but thinks he will be heavily targeted, then a bettor can take his reception total going ‘Over’ the given amount. 

Player prop markets is typically another form of over/under betting, just with player stats. These stats can range from total yards, receptions, rushing attempts, passing completions or field goals made. 

Exotic Wagers

There are various forms of exotic wagers, such as ‘how long will the National Anthem last?’ to ‘will the halftime performer wear a hat during the concert?’. There is usually no measurement to predict these outcomes, which is why it is only available for this sporting event. 

Gatorade Color

The Gatorade color is a very popular Super Bowl bet, and falls into the ‘exotic market’ of wagering. Bettors can select what color the Gatorade will be when poured onto the winning coach’s head. 

Coin Toss

Other exotic wagers include ‘who will win the coin flip?’ or ‘which player will touch the Lombardi trophy first?’. The coin flip and the Gatorade color are the most popular exotic wagers among Super Bowl bettors. 

Novelty Bets

The Super Bowl is such a big event that it brings in other forms of entertainment as well. The PGA holds the popular WM Open on Super Bowl weekend, while many pop culture events are typically going on as well. 

The NBA, NHL and college basketball are also all in season when the Super Bowl is scheduled. This makes novelty betting a popular form of wagering. This occurs when Super Bowl bettors place a wager on the football game, but also ties into a bet with another sport or event.

A good example is if a Super Bowl bettor thinks the point difference of the Knicks vs. Bulls game on the same day will total more than the amount of yards Cam Akers rushes for Los Angeles. The bettor would select the basketball game as the wager.

Super Bowl Betting Tips

There are many helpful tips to consider when betting the Super Bowl, perhaps the most helpful is to treat it like any other game. It’s easy to get caught up in making multiple bets for this event, but try to limit yourself.

If you have the need to make multiple selections, then a pool is recommended. A pool will cost less money to enter, and give you a better chance to win more money by making multiple selections.

As stated above, parlays are difficult to win. One wrong bet in a parlay kills the entire wager. In pools you can miss picks and still win the prize, so if you can’t limit your total wagers when betting the Super Bowl then join a pool instead.

It’s also recommended to wager a few futures bets before the playoffs start. At first, it might seem silly to have three different bets on a Super Bowl winner. But if one of those bets reaches the Super Bowl, then the amount you could win will already be massively more than waiting until the game is set. 

How To Bet On The Super Bowl Online

First, you must live in a state that has legal online sports betting. Some states offer sports gambling, but not mobile or online. More states have regulated fantasy sports, which is another reason to join Super Bowl pools instead of betting. 

If you do live in a regulated sports betting state however, you can find out which sportsbooks are offered. Most states have popular books such as DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars or BetMGM.