How to Bet on the Super Bowl
The popularity of betting on the Super Bowl has skyrocketed in recent years thanks to the continued expansion of legalized sports betting in the US. Last year’s Super Bowl was expected to see $7.6 billion in wagers from more than 31.4 million Americans, representing a yearly increase of 78% and 35%, respectively.
The increase in people signing up for mobile sportsbook apps is coming from a multitude of demographics. A recent study showed a 115% increase in women’s sports betting from 2020 to 2021.
There’s no doubt betting on this year’s Super Bowl will see even more money wagered from more new users. So, how do you bet on the Super Bowl? We’ll cover everything you need to know below.
Where Can You Bet on the Super Bowl?
First things first: we only recommend betting in places where it has been legalized and is regulated. Currently, 31 states, including Washington DC, offer legalized betting in some capacity.
Thanks to the federal repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), states have had the ability to create sports betting legislation since 2018. Not only are there rules and regulations allowing you to bet on the Super Bowl, but each sportsbook is also subjected to legislation and oversight.
Third-party or offshore sportsbooks, on the other hand, aren’t regulated and therefore don’t offer the same safety or reliability. These sites can sell your personal information, offer non-competitive odds, and bail when it comes time to honor your withdrawal request – all with no repercussions or accountability.
Here’s a list of legal betting states as of Dec. 12, 2022:
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington DC
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Two more states – Ohio and Massachusetts – are set to join this list in January 2023, just in time for Super Bowl 57.
How Can I Bet on the Super Bowl?
There are two ways you can bet on the Super Bowl: via online sportsbook apps or by visiting a brick-and-mortar retail sportsbook.
Betting on the Super Bowl With Mobile Apps
In states that offer both online and mobile wagering, mobile is by far the most popular way to place bets. In states like Arizona, nearly 99% of all wagers placed are done so using mobile apps.
Signing up for an online sportsbook account is incredibly easy and each follows the same general steps, regardless of which you decide to join.
- Download the app of your choosing. Most apps are available for both iOS and Android devices, although there are a few exceptions.
- Create a username and password.
- Provide identity-verifying information, such as your name, address, and date of birth.
- Make an initial deposit.
After signing up, placing most of your bets will be straightforward (we’ll cover the types of bets you can place below). Because the Super Bowl generates so much betting buzz, you won’t have to search for too long to find the bet you want to place.
Most sportsbooks will have at least a handful of betting options on the home screen of your favorite app. At worst, there will be an NFL or Super Bowl-related logo prominently displayed so you can quickly get to all of the betting markets.
Once you have settled on the bet you feel good about, placing it is a breeze. Just click on your bet, decide on the amount you can responsibly wager, and submit it.
Placing Super Bowl Bets at Retail Sportsbooks
Retail sportsbooks present another option to get some skin in the game, albeit much less convenient. Where retail betting is available, you can find sportsbooks at various locations such as casinos, racinos, and even some professional sports stadiums.
Super Bowl 57 will not only mark the first time the big game is being held in a legal betting state but there’s also a BetMGM retail sportsbook located right at State Farm Stadium.
Placing bets at retail sportsbooks is generally done at betting windows or self-service betting kiosks. When you show up to a betting window, there’s typically a number associated with the bet you want to place. You simply relay the number to the teller, pay for your bet, and you’ll be handed a bet slip.
Betting kiosks can also be found outside of sportsbooks. Ohio, for instance, will have hundreds of kiosks spread throughout the state at places like restaurants, bars, and even grocery stores.
What Kind of Bets Can You Place on the Super Bowl?
One of the things that makes the Super Bowl such a colossal betting event is the number of bets that can be placed on the game, literally from beginning to end.
Prop bets start before the game kicks off with things like the length of the national anthem and the result of the coin toss and end with the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach.
Not all of these wagers will be available in every sportsbook, so depending on how involved you want your Super Bowl Sunday to be, you’ll have to search around.
Here are some of the more common bets you can place on the Super Bowl:
- Moneyline – The most simple bet type there is, moneyline wagers are choosing who you think will win the game. The number of points scored has no bearing on moneyline bets.
- Spread – Spread bets are meant to “level the playing field” in a sense. The team that is favored to win will have points subtracted from their total, while the underdog has points added. For example, last year the Rams were 4.5-point favorites and Super Bowl 56 ended 23-20. Therefore, the winning spread bet was Bengals +4.5.
- Total – Commonly talked about as the over/under, totals are what they sound like – they are bets on the total amount of points scored by both teams.
- Player props – These are over/under wagers on the player’s statistical outputs. You can wager on things like passing yards, rushing touchdowns, receptions, tackles, sacks, and so on.
