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How Does Betting on the Super Bowl Work?

Have you ever wondered how to bet on the Super Bowl? I’m here to demystify the process and eliminate the guesswork.

If you’re going to try your hand at Super Bowl betting, you should be prepared for a complex world of bet types, bet strategies and odds reading.

Before you can dive in and take advantage of Super Bowl betting odds, however, you need to know exactly where to begin.

🔑 Key Takeaways

  • Discover the best Super Bowl betting tips and strategies.
  • Learn step-by-step how to bet during a Super Bowl matchup, to start betting now!
  • Explore the top three online sportsbooks in the US with the best Super Bowl odds.

I Love the Super Bowl!

I really do love the Super Bowl! With all the triumphs and failures of the season, it truly feels like the world’s most important game. From cooking the perfect game-day goodies to analyzing my team’s performance over the past year, nothing beats the championship game. NFL betting, especially Super Bowl prop bets, adds even more excitement.

As one fellow Super Bowl online fan shared,

Betting on the big game makes every play more thrilling.

Using sports betting apps, you can explore numerous wagering options to boost your Super Bowl experience. Just remember to know the basics before you start placing your bets.

Understanding Super Bowl Betting

In 2024, more people in the US bet on the Super Bowl than at any other time in history, according to the American Gaming Association. Roughly 68 million adults collectively bet more than $23bn, following the upward trend that Super Bowl betting has followed for the past five years.

It is a thriving industry, in other words, but how exactly does betting on the Super Bowl work?

Super Bowl betting online is legal in 29 states at the time of writing. Bettors in the following states can legally bet on the game via their favorite online sportsbook:

  • Wyoming
  • West Virginia
  • Virginia
  • Vermont
  • Tennessee
  • Rhode Island
  • Pennsylvania
  • Oregon
  • Ohio
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • New Hampshire
  • Nevada
  • Michigan
  • Massachusetts
  • Maryland
  • Maine
  • Louisiana
  • Kentucky
  • Kansas
  • Iowa
  • Indiana
  • Illinois
  • Florida
  • Delaware
  • Connecticut
  • Colorado
  • Arkansas
  • Arizona

The fundamentals of Super Bowl betting are pretty straightforward. You pick from various betting options, set your wager, and let the bet play out.

There are three basic types of bets to keep in mind:

  • Moneyline wagers – They allow you to bet on which team will win. These are based on a figurative $100 bet, with negative numbers representing favorites and positive numbers representing underdogs.
    • Example: If a team is +100, and you bet $110, you stand to win $210 if the team wins – your stake of $110 plus $100 profit.
  • Spread betting – They allow you to wager on the game outcome. Points are given to the underdog and laid by the favorite. If your team is a two-point favorite, and you bet on them to win, they must win by at least three points for you to ‘win’.
  • Totals – Betting the total allows you to bet on the total number of points scored in the game.
    • Example: In the 2024 Super Bowl, the total was 47.5, and you could bet on whether the combined score would go under or over that total.

Types of Super Bowl Bets

In addition to the bet types in the previous section, there is a wide range of Super Bowl bets you can make. Props, futures and live betting, for example, are some of the most common bet types you’ll likely encounter.

Also known as ‘proposition bets’, props bets are bets placed on specific events that take place within the game that don’t impact the final score.

The three main types of props bets are player props, game props and novelty props:

  1. Player props refer to individual player performances.
  2. Game props refer to team-based outcome bets, such as which team will kick the longest field goal.
  3. Novelty props are fun bets such as the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach.

Fun fact: In 2024, coach Andy Reid was dumped with purple Gatorade, leaving some fans very happy indeed.

Futures bets are bets placed on events that are yet to happen. If a team has a particularly successful season in 2024, for example, futures betting might see people wager on them to make it to the Super Bowl and win in 2025 before the start of the 2025 season.

Live betting allows players to bet on the game in real time. This kind of bet refers to things such as which player will score the next touchdown or the next play by a specific team.

The majority of mobile betting apps and online sportsbooks allow users to bet on all of the above. This includes operators such as FanDuel, DraftKings and BetRivers.

Reading Super Bowl Betting Odds

Super Bowl betting odds might seem complicated, but with a few tips, you’ll have them mastered in no time. First, when you read Super Bowl betting odds, you’ll see that some numbers have a ‘+’ sign and others have a ‘-‘ sign. We discussed this briefly above, but here’s how these numbers work.

Negative numbers subtract from the total score and positive numbers add to the total score. 

Example: Let’s say that Team One is at -10 and Team Two is at +10.

If you bet on Team One (-10), the favored team, they must win by at least 11 points for you to be able to collect your wager. If you bet on Team Two (+10), however, they must win the game outright or lose by less than 11.

Betting on the underdog has a higher potential for dramatic results, but you should make sure that you know enough about each team to be able to predict the outcome before betting on them.

How to Place a Bet on the Super Bowl

You may still be wondering, how does betting on Super Bowl work? That’s okay – this Super Bowl betting guide will tie it all together for you.

Now that you know the type of Super Bowl betting lines you can bet on as well as how to read the odds before you get started, you’re almost ready to wager. Here is what to do next:

  1. Find a safe online sportsbook where you can place a bet. Make sure that you spend some time researching your options! Not all Super Bowl betting apps and websites are created equal. Look for a well-established site that’s regulated by a respected licensing authority such as the Nevada Gaming Control Board and read a few reviews.
  2. Once you’ve signed up and are ready to go, you’ll need to deposit funds into your account and then head to the sports betting page. Many online operators offer Super Bowl betting promotions, so read through the available offers to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your dollar.
  3. Navigate to the Super Bowl betting page and pick your bet type and wager amount. Enter the required information into the bet form and click the button (typically called ‘bet’ or ‘submit’) to send your wager through.

That’s it! You’ve just placed your first Super Bowl bet.

Super Bowl Betting Strategies

You’ve got the basics of Super Bowl betting down. Now let’s move into more complex territory. While Super Bowl betting games can be completed in a straightforward way by picking a team and a potential winner, you can also dive deeper into Super Bowl betting strategies.

Here are a few strategies you can consider when making your Super Bowl wager:

  • Betting on the quarterback – If you are betting on MVPs, consider wagering on the quarterback. Out of the past 11 MVPs, eight of them were quarterbacks. This won’t guarantee you a win, of course, but it does put you in a better position to win than if you choose a random player. Quarterbacks are sometimes the unsung heroes of football and can often be the difference between winning and losing.
  • Wager on the underdog – We’ve already discussed how betting on the underdog offers greater potential than betting on the favorite, and this is the next strategy to consider when looking at Super Bowl betting trends.

Fun fact: Out of the past 11 championship games, the underdogs have been the winners of six Lombardi trophies.

ESPN analyst Kevin Pulsifer explained right before Super Bowl LVIII, that the Kansas City Chiefs were underdogs, but with plenty of talent and win potential behind them, they were his Super Bowl picks of 2024. True to his advice, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, handing the people who wagered on them wins.

Leveraging Super Bowl Betting Promotions

If there is one thing to remember about betting on the Super Bowl, it should be Super Bowl betting promos. Given the sheer number of bettors and viewers of the championship game, online sportsbooks often offer their users great promotions that are exclusive to Super Bowl betting. If you plan to bet anyway, why not take advantage of offers along the way?

There are a few different kinds of Super Bowl betting promotions to consider. Some of the most popular include bonus bets and money for first bets, among others.

  • Bonus bets – refers to money that users receive when they place a bet.

Example: A $150 bonus bet on a $5 bet deposits $150 into your sportsbook account after you make a single $5 bet. You can then use that money for additional bets (though you typically can’t withdraw the bonus funds outright).

I once took advantage of that exact offer, in fact, and used my $150 in bonus bet money to take home a tidy win.

  • Money for first bets – Other providers give their users money for making their very first bet with the sportsbook. In this instance, users receive bonus funds as described above when making their first bet (typically of any kind) with a specific provider.

Example: You might receive $500 in bonus bet money after betting, depending on the sportsbook and offer in question.

Choosing the Best Super Bowl Betting Sites

After reading everything we’ve discussed so far, you’re probably ready to try your hand at Super Bowl betting. As we mentioned earlier, however, it is important to pick the right mobile betting provider before you get started.

With so many options on the market, you might be wondering where to begin. Don’t worry – we’ve collected three of the best Super Bowl betting sites below.

FanDuel

Forbes says it best:

FanDuel is one of the premier online sportsbooks in the country.

From its extensive presence in the US with legal sites in more than half the country to its easy-to-use website, FanDuel Sportsbook is a fan favorite for a reason. It is also one of the most regulated online sportsbooks on the continent. You can also win real money at FanDuel, as long as you place a winning bet.

DraftKings

According to AJC Betting,

DraftKings has long been a top betting site in the country.

Thanks to its reputable promotions and transparent practices, it is widely considered one of the best sportsbooks in the market. At the time of writing, users in 21 states can bet using DraftKings.

Something to note about DraftKings Sportsbook, in particular, is its fully functioning mobile betting app. Using the app, you can easily place and monitor bets and collect your winnings on the go.

BetRivers

As Bookies.com’s favorable review states, BetRivers offers

Attractive bonuses, quick payouts, and a great desktop website.

It provides many of the same benefits as DraftKings and FanDuel, but its welcome offers and frequent betting promotions are second to none. BetRivers Sportsbook also has an app on both iOS and Android, though it shines most on desktop.

So, Will You Bet on the Super Bowl From Now On?

Super Bowl betting is a huge industry! While it might seem complicated at first, betting on the championship game is actually pretty straightforward once you understand a few simple tips.

Now that you know that there’s money to be made when it comes to the Super Bowl winner, you are ready for next year’s Super Bowl game.

Do you want to bet but still feel the need to learn more about sports betting? Take a look at our online Sports Betting 101 guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most popular Super Bowl betting options?

Popular Super Bowl betting options include the Super Bowl moneyline, point spreads, over/under totals, and prop bets like wagering on the Super Bowl MVP. These bets add excitement to Super Bowl Sunday, offering various ways to engage with the game.

What are Super Bowl futures bets?

Super Bowl futures bets are wagers placed well in advance of Super Bowl Sunday, predicting which team will win Super Bowl 58. These bets can be made before or during the season and often offer higher payouts due to their long-term nature.

How do I place a parlay bet on the Super Bowl?

To place a parlay bet on the Super Bowl, combine multiple bets into a single bet slip. For example, you can bet on the Super Bowl moneyline, point spread, and a player prop all in one parlay. All selections must win for the parlay to pay out, increasing the potential reward.

Which teams have won 11 Super Bowls combined?

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots have each won 6 Super Bowls, totaling 12 combined Super Bowl victories. These teams are among the most successful in NFL history and are frequently popular choices for Super Bowl futures bets.