Super Bowl LVI kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST and brings with it one of the most bet upon sporting events in the world. Here’s a look at how the sports betting market is shaping up for the game and some key bets to consider.
Super Bowl Betting: Super Bowl LVI will air on NBC, a unit of Comcast Corp (NASDAQ:CMCSA). Several sports betting companies will air Super Bowl commercials, including Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR), DraftKings Inc (NASDAQ:DKNG) and FanDuel, a unit of Flutter Entertainment (OTC:PDYPY).
PlayUSA estimates that $1 billion in legal bets will be wagered at online and retail sportsbooks for Super Bowl LVI.
A total of 30 states and Washington, D.C. will be able to bet on Super Bowl LVI at retail locations and online, compared to 21 states last year.
Main Wagers: The current spread on the game is the Los Angeles Rams favored by four points against the Cincinnati Bengals. The over/under is set at 48.5 points.
Both teams were known for putting up big numbers during the regular season. The Rams and Bengals each had 460 points scored in the 2021-2022 season.
Both teams have posted strong defenses to get to the Super Bowl. The Bengals allowed 19, 16 and 24 points in its three Playoff matches. The Rams allowed 11, 27 and 17 in its three Playoff matches.
During the regular season, the Bengals only went under 20 points in four games. The Rams only went under 24 points in five of their regular season games.
The team totals of 21.5 for the Bengals and the 26.5 for the Rams both look like favorable bets considering the strong offensive output along with the total over of 48.5 in the match.
Touchdown Props: Cooper Kupp had a phenomenal season in 2021-2022, leading the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, a rare triple feat. Kupp had 16 touchdowns in the regular season and has four in three postseason games. Odds are strong that Kupp gets a touchdown and despite the low -190 price it could be worth betting straight up or putting in a parlay.
Another player to target could include Odell Beckham Jr, who has 236 yards and one touchdown in the postseason. Beckham TD is offered at +120 and many are expecting him to have a big game.
Betting that a Bengals player will score a touchdown is a bit more of a guessing game, with Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase each having only one touchdown in the postseason. Four different Bengals have receiving touchdowns and given the attention the Rams might put on Chase, TD bets for the Bengals could include Tee Higgins (+175), C.J. Uzomah (+250) and Tyler Boyd (+275).
With a lot of attention on the big wide receivers, a sneaky play could be betting on the teams’ third wide receivers to score. DraftKings is offering Boyd or Van Jefferson to score a touchdown at +120.
A unique bet at Barstool offers the over/under on all touchdown scorers in the Super Bowl at 187.5. With Kupp (10) and Chase (1) two of the touchdown favorites and having low jersey numbers, the under could be in play here.
Related Link: Here’s How Much Could Be Bet On Super Bowl LVI
Super Bowl MVP: One of the most bet on prop bets will be Super Bowl MVP. Matthew Stafford (+100) and Joe Burrow (+225) lead the odds. The quarterback position has the most wins of the award with 31. The next highest is wide receiver and running back at seven each.
The game is expected to feature pass heavy offenses and not a big running game, which would likely put wide receivers in play along with the quarterbacks.
Kupp missed out on the regular season MVP to Aaron Rodgers, but could get the consolation prize here with a Super Bowl MVP with a strong performance. Kupp winning pays +600. On the Bengals side, Chase will likely get some wagers at +1800.
DraftKings is offering wagering on a quarterback to get MVP at -300. The WR position pays out +250.
PointsBet is offering any defensive player to win the Super Bowl MVP at +800. While defensive players win the award a fraction of the time, this year’s team has a strong defense and could be worth a look here.
BetMGM, a joint venture from Entain and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) takes the MVP wager a step further by offering quarterback at -275 and the rest of the field at +210.
Barstool Sportsbook from Penn National Gaming (NASDAQ:PENN) is known for its popular Bet With Barstool props. The Super Bowl features a bet with Logan Paul boosting odds of Burrow to win the Super Bowl MVP at +350.
A wildcard bet for Super Bowl MVP is Von Miller offered at +4500. Miller is a key piece to the Rams’ defense and previously won this award as a member of the Denver Broncos. Miller could become the only non-quarterback to ever win the award twice.
Prop Bets: Lots of money is coming in on the Bengals kicker Evan McPherson after his game winning performance to send the team to the Super Bowl. Also, given the Rams strong defense, the Bengals could land a couple field goals in the game.
McPherson to hit a 50-yard field goal is offered at +140 at DraftKings. McPherson was 9-11 on 50-yard field goals during the regular season and is 3-3 in the postseason. Bettors can also wager on McPherson to score more than 7.5 points at -110.
Many sportsbooks are offering combo odds on Ja’Marr Chase and Cooper Kupp. At DraftKings, the duo to hit 199.5 combined yards is at +105 and is a bet worth watching.
With pass heavy offenses expected, most sportsbooks are offering combo bets between Stafford and Burrow. DraftKings has the duo to post over 4.5 touchdowns at +145 and over 599.5 yards at +150.
A fun prop bet is offered by FanDuel giving odds of +350 for Stafford to hit over 2.5 passing touchdowns and over 313 passing yards (the area code of Detroit, his former NFL home).
PointsBet is offering Beckham Jr. to have 60.5 yards and the Rams to win the game at +195. Beckham is averaging 79 yards a game.
BetMGM is offering a prop of Burrow to have 230 passing yards, two passing touchdowns or more and the Bengals to win by four or more points at +425.
Caesars Sportsbook is offering some combo bets between the Super Bowl with UFC, NBA and NHL events happening over the weekend.
Photo: Courtesy of Alan Kotok on Flickr
