Betting on the Super Bowl is the most popular wagering event on the sports calendar.
The Super Bowl is the culmination and climax of year-round preparation from the NFL Draft in April, training camp in July, a 16-game regular season, and the playoff battles.
It all leads to two teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers taking to the field on Super Bowl Sunday.
While the Super Bowl is indeed a huge gambling day for focused, serious sports bettors, there’s also plenty of ways for the less serious, more casual fan to participate. An incredible array of proposition or “prop” bets are available for every level of bettor.
While many serious players will be focused on the point spread and moneyline bets, a prop bet is related to the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event during the game, not directly affecting the game’s outcome.
The scale of the Super Bowl, combined with an extra week of game preparation (or hype), leads to the most extensive menu of betting props of any NFL game.
For example, PointsBet Sportsbook is offering over 300 bet types for the Super Bowl with the number of available bets increasing as we get closer to the game.
For those of you casual NFL fans, below you will find four prop bets at NJ mobile sports betting apps to consider for Sunday that will provide you with some “action” from the start to finish of Super Bowl LIV.
Before we get to the prop bets, here are the current betting odds for the Super Bowl.
[odds-feed game=17254 sportsbooks=DraftKings,FanDuel,PointsBet,WilliamHillNV styling=small odds=moneyline]
1. Coin toss props at DraftKings
The coin toss is a regular occurrence at the beginning of every NFL game. The result is either “heads” or “tails.”
DraftKings Sportsbook offers wagering opportunities around the opening coin flip:
- Heads -103
- Tails -103
At -103, if you bet $103, you will win $100.
DraftKings also offers odds on which team will win the coin toss:
- Chiefs -103
- 49ers -103
Coin toss prop bet trends
Over the last 10 Super Bowls, the coin toss results have gone exactly as you might expect, evenly split between heads and tails.
2. The safety prop at PointsBet
While a safety is the least common scoring play in NFL games, they do occur more than you think.
During the 2019 NFL regular season, there were a total of 17 safeties scored, but neither the Chiefs nor 49ers registered one. Perhaps they are “due” for one in the Super Bowl?
Since it’s the Big Game, safety prop bets are available. In fact, PointsBet Sportsbook offers several props that include safety.
- Will there be a safety? Yes +900, No -2500.
- Will the game’s first scoring play be a safety? Yes +5000
- Will the game’s last scoring play be a safety? Yes +6600
Safety prop bet trends
In the previous 53 Super Bowls, there have been a total of nine safeties scored. This computes to an average of one safety every six Super Bowls.
The last safety occurred in Super Bowl 48…and this year is Super Bowl 54. Hmmm…might there be a safety this year?
3. William Hill goes into overtime
If the score is tied at the end of regulation, there will be an “overtime” in which the winner will be determined.
Unlike the regular season, where there is a 10-minute OT with the possibility of a tie, the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl will play in overtime until there’s a winner.
William Hill Sportsbook (Caesars Sportsbook) offers a prop bet on whether there will be overtime:
- Yes +650
- No -1000
Overtime prop bet trends
In the 53 previous Super Bowls, there has only been one game that has gone into overtime, but it did happen recently.
In Super Bowl 51, the Patriots roared back from a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons to tie the game 28-28 by the end of regulation, with the Patriots going on to win 34-28 in overtime.
4. Guess the Most Valuable Player at FanDuel
Winning the Super Bowl is the goal of every player that puts on the pads or coach that straps on a sideline headset or clipboard.
One player will be selected as the game’s most outstanding player, the MVP, and he will be showered with cash, new cars, trips to Disney, and a gauntlet of TV talk show appearances.
FanDuel Sportsbook offers Super Bowl game MVP prop betting odds for an incredible total of 60 players combined between the Chiefs and 49ers.
Here are the current top betting favorites with their team and position noted:
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs (QB) +110
- Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (QB) +250
- Raheem Mostert, 49ers (RB) +800
- George Kittle, 49ers (TE) +1600
- Tyreek Hill, Chiefs (WR) +1700
- Travis Kelce, Chiefs (TE) +2200
MVP prop bet trends
Noting above that two of the top six betting choices for MVP are at the tight end position, there has never been a tight end that has won the Super Bowl MVP award.
The quarterback position has dominated this award, winning in 29 of the 53 years and seven of the last 10 years. The last running back to win was Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos in 1998. There has only been one winner from the losing team, Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys way back in Super Bowl V.
Your strategy to approach this prop is straightforward, select the QB of the team that you think will win, and there’s your (more than) likely MVP!