The Vast Ocean of Betting on the Super Bowl

As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat. The same could apply to Super Bowl betting, considering the skyrocketing popularity of both the game and the gambling industry. In short, there is no shortage of available markets to wager on the biggest sporting event of the year in the United States.

In 2022, bettors risked roughly $8 billion on the big game between the Bengals and Rams, though it should be noted that the number included bets placed both legally and illegally. That shattered the previous record set in 2021 by nearly double, and as additional states continue to legalize, the record will continue to be broken year after year.

The options have expanded in recent years, though offshore books have offered alternative markets for Super Bowl betting for quite some time. Some of those non-traditional options include the length of the National Anthem, the color of the Gatorade poured on the winning coach, the coin flip, and the number of times any given celebrity is shown in the crowd, among many others.

Below we examine the most popular bets placed on the Super Bowl based on the most commonly used sportsbook apps and how to place them.

First Touchdown

This first step applies to each of these wagers so we won’t annoy you with repetitiveness: Navigate to your favorite app(s) and search for these markets within the Super Bowl tab. Also, be sure to search around to find the best odds if you play on multiple books. 

This is relatively self-explanatory, as you’re betting on which player will score the first touchdown of the game. Once a touchdown is scored, the bet is over. So, in theory, it could be one of your quickest wins/losses of the night unless we’re dealing with a game like the Thursday-night snoozer between the Broncos and Colts from early on in the 2022 season. No touchdowns were scored in that game, in which case all bets in this market are voided and returned.

You can also wager on who will score the second, third, etc., touchdown of the game, and the odds are similar, so you don’t have to feel left out if you miss the first one.

Super Bowl MVP

Here, you’re betting on who will be crowned the MVP of the big game, so you first have to decide who you think will win the game itself. This has mostly been an award for the winning team’s quarterback (since 2007, the trophy has been awarded to a QB 11 times), but there have been exceptions. Quarterbacks have the shortest odds, and the value is found elsewhere.

Anytime Touchdown Scorer

This market allows the bettor to pick any player to score a touchdown at any point in the game. The strategy is different from the first touchdown play in that you’re in it for the entirety of the game, assuming your player stays healthy.

As a result, the odds are much lower and will vary based on player performance entering that contest. These are popular in single-game parlays as well, and you could even put an entire SGP together made exclusively of anytime touchdown scorers, elevating your odds to provide greater value.

Winning Margin

Once you decide who you think will win the game outright, another strategy is trying to determine how many points will separate the winner from the loser. The sportsbook apps will give you plenty of options under this umbrella, too.

You can bet on a margin range (1-3, 4-6, 7-10, etc.) or pick the exact margin of victory. The latter, of course, will offer greater odds to the customer as it is much more difficult to predict. It’s worth pointing out that the most common margin of victory since 2002 is three points, with five Super Bowls separated by just a field goal during that span. It’s also worth noting that it hasn’t happened since 2013.

Good luck finding the option that speaks to you!