Super Bowl LVII kicks off one month from today, but it’s never too early to start scoping out one of the biggest betting events of the year—initial betting lines came out the day after Super Bowl LVI, and people have been placing wagers for months. The number of prop bets available will continue to grow as the game draws closer in what is likely to be a record breaking weekend for bookies and bettors alike. As more countries and states around the world work to legalize sports gambling, the market continues to grow: in the United States alone, bettors placed $4 billion on the Super Bowl in 2021. Last year, that figure jumped to almost $8 billion. Odds and bonuses vary from sportsbook to sportsbook, so keep your eyes peeled for the best deals possible as the playoffs begin. Markets all around the world, including the Ontario sports betting market, are paying close attention to who will play in this year’s Super Bowl.
A Look at the Quarterbacks
A conference loaded with stud quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, BetMGM favors an AFC team (-145) to take home the Lombardi Trophy in 2023. Mahomes is the overwhelming favorite to win his second MVP award (-1400) and his Chiefs have the best odds of winning it all (+325), but recent history doesn’t favor Kansas City. The last league MVP to win a title in the same season was Kurt Warner in 1999.
The Buffalo Bills rank second (+375), while the San Francisco 49ers are pacing the NFC at +450 despite rolling with Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 draft, as their starting quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles earned a first round bye as the No. 1 seed and are stacked at nearly every position, but slot in behind San Francisco at +500.
Cincinnati is an excellent value pick, as their odds fell to +750 with a banged up offensive line and a shaky secondary. Joe Burrow already managed to drag an inferior team kicking and screaming to the Super Bowl once. Who’s to say he can’t bring the Bengals their first championship in team history?
Sportsbooks appear wary of Tom Brady’s drive to win his eighth Lombardi Trophy, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are tied for the seventh-best odds to win it all (+2500) despite having a losing record in one of the league’s worst divisions. Despite Brady’s track record of winning against all odds, none of the largest bets placed to date are on Tampa Bay.
Long Shots
A pair of USD 100,000 bets were placed on the Miami Dolphins at +3000: with offensive guru Mike McDaniel coaching receivers with blazing speed like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins were a top sleeper pick early in the season. With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa already ruled out for their wild card matchup in Buffalo, the third straight week he’s missed while recovering from a concussion, seventh seed Miami’s odds have plummeted to +8000.
Seattle, the NFC’s seventh seed, has the worst odds of any playoff team at +10000.
Props Galore
When it comes to the Super Bowl, the game itself is only part of the fun. While many of the prop bets haven’t opened yet, sportsbooks allow wagers on just about anything you can think of, including the duration of the national anthem, the result of the coin toss, Rihanna’s halftime show and even the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach. You don’t have to know anything about sports to get in on the action or to take advantage of promotions, which appear in droves as part of the big game. In recent years, bettors have been able to wager on the amount of outfit changes a performer will go through during their halftime set, which songs will be featured (looking forward to hearing “Umbrella” or “What’s my Name?”), and whether competing brands like Coca-Cola or Pepsi will have their products featured first.
WIth a lavish variety of props to choose from, scrolling through the betting lines is almost as fun as watching the game itself, and a great way to prepare for the action—it’s also an easy way to spice up a parlay.