Last year there was nearly $5 billion bet on the Super Bowl and more than 90 percent of it was wagered illegally. Still, what’s bet legally is in the hundreds of millions of dollars just in this country, not counting offshore and international casinos. Last week someone placed a “multi-million-dollar bet” with MGM Resorts on the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, with huge wagers coming in on both sides to cover the spread and win the game.
Sunday is the gambling industry’s biggest day, so it stands to reason that Super bets are not just limited to who will win the game. Both legal and illegal wagers come in on anything and everything one can imagine.
Who will win the coin toss?
Heads or tails?
Will Nick Foles win the MVP?
Will a player on the Eagles forget to wear his helmet and instead run out onto the field in a dog mask?
Okay, I might have made that last one up, but this one is totally real. Who will score more points: Ben Simmons against the Pacers on Saturday night or the Eagles on Sunday?
Good luck with that, and these. Here are some of the biggest, best and downright weirdest prop bets for Super Bowl LII.
MVP
There are different odds at every sportsbook, but the consensus is that Tom Brady is the prohibitive MVP favorite, while Nick Foles, being the quarterback on the other team, is next in terms of odds. Here’s the Westgate Superbook’s odds as of the start of Super Bowl week, via the Las Vegas Sun.
Who will win Super Bowl LII MVP?
| Tom BRADY* (NE) | 4/5 |
| Nick FOLES* (PHI) | 3/1 |
| Rob GRONKOWSKI* (NE) | 12/1 |
| Brandin COOKS* (NE) | 18/1 |
| Dion LEWIS* (NE) | 20/1 |
| Jay AJAYI* (PHI) | 25/1 |
| Zach ERTZ* (PHI) | 25/1 |
| Danny AMENDOLA* (NE) | 25/1 |
| FIELD – ALL OTHERS | 25/1 |
| Alshon JEFFERY* (PHI) | 30/1 |
| Nelson AGHOLOR* (PHI) | 30/1 |
| Fletcher COX* (PHI) | 30/1 |
| Torrey SMITH* (PHI) | 50/1 |
| Legarrette BLOUNT* (PHI) | 60/1 |
| Jake ELLIOTT* (PHI) | 60/1 |
| Malcolm JENKINS* (PHI) | 60/1 |
| Brandon GRAHAM* (PHI) | 60/1 |
| Chris LONG* (PHI) | 60/1 |
| James WHITE* (NE) | 60/1 |
| Chris HOGAN* (NE) | 60/1 |
| Kyle VAN NOY* (NE) | 60/1 |
| Mychal KENDRICKS* (PHI) | 80/1 |
| Stephen GOSTKOWSKI* (NE) | 80/1 |
| Malcolm BUTLER* (NE) | 80/1 |
| Duron HARMON* (NE) | 80/1 |
| Devin McCOURTY* (NE) | 80/1 |
The odds for who will score the first touchdown are all over the map, with Rob Gronkowski having the best odds at 7-to-1, followed by Jay Ajayi, Alshon Jeffery, Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor and Brandin Cooks at 8-to-1, with LeGarrette Blount, James White and Danny Amendola at 10-to-1.
Watch out for a quarterback sneak.
Missed Extra Point
Will there be a missed extra point kick?
- Yes +260
- No -330
For wagers like the one above, the number next to each choice is the money line, based on $100. A wager on Yes at +260 means you’d have to bet $100 to win $260. A wager on No at -330 means you would have to bet $330 to win $100. (A minus number indicates that choice is more likely to happen, so the payout is significantly less than a plus number.)
The bet doesn’t have to be $100. That’s just the math. For example, one could bet $33 there will not be a missed extra point to try to win $10, but need to bet just $10 to win $26 on the side that one of the two kickers will miss.
Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots has only missed six extra points in his career, but five have come since last season when the attempt was moved back to the 15-yard line. He has not missed an extra point this postseason, but has missed three in his playoff career, including one in the Super Bowl last year.
Jake Elliott missed three extra points this regular season for the Eagles, as well as another in the playoffs. Yes is not a bad bet.
Underdogs, Rocky and Brotherly love
VegasInsider has shared a few fun Philly bets, many of which rely on whether or not the announcers will make popular local references. What’s odd about bets like this is that one person can so easily control them. Al Michaels, calling the game for NBC, is often quite cognizant of Vegas betting lines, so it stands to reason he might peruse the prop bets at some point this week. Michaels saying the word underdog at some point in the game should be a lock. And yet, for betting purposes, one could made a good amount of money if he or she knew Michaels intended not to say it. Just saying…
Will Al Michaels say “underdog”?
- Yes -1000
- No +450
Will Al Michaels or Cris Collinsworth say “Rocky”?
- Yes +180
- No -220
Will Al Michaels or Cris Collinsworth say “City of Brotherly Love”?
- Yes +150
- No -180
Trump bets
VegasInsider, via BetDSI.eu, has a number of POTUS-related prop bets, including if he’ll attend the game, whether he’ll take part in a pregame interview and how many tweets he’ll send during the game.
Will Donald Trump take part in pregame interview on NBC?
- Yes +360
- No -500
Total number of Donald Trump tweets during game?
- Over 2.5 (-115)
- Under 2.5 (-115)
Take. The. Over.
There’s another Trump-related option, too, asking if any player will take a knee during the anthem.
Will any players take a knee during national anthem?
- Yes +275
- No -350
Several Patriots players opted to take a knee earlier in the season, while a few Eagles, led by Malcolm Jenkins, chose to stand with a raised fist. Given the stage, and the fact the NFL came to an agreement with the players on plans for social change and racial inequality, it’s hard to believe a player will make this kind of statement on his own, and it’s even less likely one of these two teams would band together to make a public statement before a game of this magnitude. No feels like a very safe bet there.
Speaking of anthems…
TopBet shared their list of prop bets that includes the over/under on how long it will take Pink to sing the national anthem.
How Long (seconds) Will it Take Pink to Sing the US National Anthem? (From her first to last note)
- Over 123.0 (-130)
- Under 123.0 (Even)
Two minutes and three seconds is almost to the second what Idina Menzel sang the anthem in three years ago. Two seasons ago, Lady Gaga (above) rang in at a robust two minutes and 22 seconds. Luke Bryan sang last year’s at just over two minutes and four seconds, so the bet is not an easy one this year. I’d take the over, if slightly.
And what about halftime? Odds that Justin Timberlake sings “Can’t Stop The Feeling” first in his halftime set are at 2-to-1.
Justin Timberlake’s first song during the halftime show
| Can’t Stop The Feeling! | +200 |
| Cry Me A River | +700 |
| Filthy | +500 |
| Love Never Felt So Good | +900 |
| Mirrors | +550 |
| Rock Your Body | +500 |
| Senorita | +1300 |
| Sexyback | +300 |
| Suit & Tie | +1500 |
| True Colors | +900 |
| What Goes Around Comes Around | +1500 |
| Any Other Song | +250 |
Odds that he sings “Let’s Go Crazy” as his first Prince song are a -200 on the money line, with the second-best odds on that particular bet coming for him not singing a Prince song, at +300.
There’s also bets for if Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Madonna or Jay Z will show up at halftime. The best odds for Yes of those four is Jay Z. Having said that, the Yes bet for any other member of NSYNC showing up is +200, but word is when Joey Fatone called Timberlake to ask about a reunion at the Super Bowl, the response was, “This I Promise You,””It’s Gonna Be Me,: followed by a quick “Bye Bye Bye.”
Dilly Dilly?
Looking ahead to Super Sunday, saw this prop bet:
Combined Dilly Dilly’s in all Bud Light Super Bowl Commercials
Over 15.5 (-110)
Under 15.5 (-110) pic.twitter.com/u6NLcLBQQW— alexquigley (@alexquigley) January 29, 2018
Other sports props
Some of the most fun bets are the props that combine random Super Bowl stats with other sporting events from the weekend. Here are a few local options from Westgate and William Hill, via the Las Vegas Sun.
Who will have more?
- Ben Simmons points vs. Pacers (-110)
- Philadelphia Eagles points -3.5 (-110)
The Sixers play a back-to-back Friday and Saturday, hosting the Heat then playing at Indiana, which is probably why there aren’t any Joel Embiid props. But Simmons having more points than the Eagles — with the Eagles giving three-and-a-half — is a wickedly tempting wager.
Who will have more?
- LeBron James points vs. Rockets (-110)
- Nick Foles Pass Attempts – 6.5 (-110)
Foles threw 30 passes against Atlanta and 33 against the Vikings. If he throws 30 passes against the Patriots, LeBron only has to score 24 points to win the bet. He’s cracked the 24-point mark in six of the last eight games and is averaging 26.8 per game.
Which will be more?
- LeBron James points, rebounds assists vs. Rockets -3.5
- Nelson Agholor receiving yards
LeBron’s average is 26.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists. That’s 41.2. Agholor averaged 48 yards per game this season, and 41.5 in the playoffs. Gulp.
Which will be more?
- Lionel Messi & Luis Suarez goals for Barcelona at Espanyol -150
- Nick Foles touchdown passes +130
Raise your hand if you ever thought there would be a Super Bowl prop bet that included Lionel Messi and Nick Foles.
No hands in sight? Right. Let’s move on to college hoops.
Which will be more?
- Temple made 3-point field goals vs. Tulane (Even)
- Nick Foles 1st-half completions -.5 (-120)
Who will have more?
- Seton Hall/Villanova margin of victory -2.5 (-110)
- Jay Ajayi rushing attempts (-110)
Who will have more?
- Temple/Tulane margin of victory (-110)
- Trey Burton receiving yards -4.5 (-110)
There are a lot — a lot — more prop bets. Thousands of them, in fact, but none seem quite as depressing as laying a wager down on whether the winning margin between Temple and Tulane this weekend will be higher than the number of receiving yards Trey Burton has, minus four and a half.
Happy wagering.
