Want to learn how to bet on the Super Bowl? The NFL’s biggest game is always just around the corner and the Super Bowl and gambling go together like peanut butter and jelly.
For bettors of all levels, it’s a chance to watch the best teams in the National Football League square off while wagering on everything from the Super Bowl coin toss to which team will cover the spread.
We’ll show you how to wager on the Super Bowl, complete with handicapping info and tips, so you can make educated picks at your favorite online sportsbooks.
How To Wager On The Super Bowl
Sportsbooks release their Super Bowl lines as soon as the two finalist teams are determined, but you can prepare for your Super Bowl picks months in advance. Here's how to get in on the action:
Choose a betting site
The first step is to figure out where you're betting. Are you wagering against your friend sitting on the other end of the couch from you? If not, you probably have to pick a sportsbook that's right for you. We've broken down the bonuses and features to look for when picking a Super Bowl betting site.
Sign up for an account
Next, you've gotta sign up. For most betting sites these days you'll need an email and potentially some government-issued ID to register for a book.
Browse the odds offering
If you just want to get in on the action, you can choose a simple moneyline bet. But, there are almost countless different odds markets for the Super Bowl each year, allowing you to dive deep into some pretty niche outcomes.
Below, we’ll describe each sports betting option and break down Super Bowl odds. Whether you’re a novice bettor learning how to wager on the big game or a seasoned pro, there’s a wagering type out there for you.
Place your bets
After you've found the book that's best for you and decided which odds you're going to bet betting on, the only step left is to lock in a wager. Choose your unit size (how much you'll be betting), add the pick to your bet slip, and finalize.
Watch your Bets play out
Some people get the thrill from locking in the bet. But, the real fun for most comes after. Sit back, grab some Buffalo wings, and watch your Super Bowl wagers play out. Good luck!
Placing Super Bowl Bets Online
Don’t spend all night trying to choose the perfect book – we’ve done all the hard work explaining how to pick the Super Bowl sites here. All you have to do is decide what type of bet(s) you want to make:
Moneyline: Who Will Win The Game?
This is one of the most popular types of wagers for football since all you need to do is pick a team to win the Super Bowl. A moneyline requires you to determine a Super Bowl Sportsbook straight-up (SU) based on the NFL odds.
When you visit your favorite sportsbook online, you’ll see moneyline odds listed like this:
- Philadelphia Eagles -115
- Kansas City Chiefs +105
Using the example above, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are the favorite and Pat Mahomes' Chiefs are the underdog. Faves are always denoted with the minus sign (-) and dogs will always be shown with the plus sign (+).
Let’s say you have $100 burning a hole in your wallet. If you were to wager that money on the Eagles and they won, you’d get a payout of $186.96 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $86.96.
If you were to take the other side of that wager and the Chiefs won, you’d get a payout of $205 – you get your $100 back, coupled with your winnings of $105. The return is bigger when you wager on the underdog. However, you shouldn’t wager on the lesser team with the hopes of winning big.
To see how much you’d win based on the odds and the amount wagered, check out our Odds Calculator.
Point Spread: Which Team Will Cover?
Spread bets are prevalent during the regular season, postseason and, of course, this year’s Super Bowl. For this wager, you aren’t choosing who will win the game, but by how much they will win. The betting lines would appear something like this:
Point Spread Odds
- Eagles -3.5
- Chiefs +3.5
To cover the spread, the Eagles would need to win by more than 3.5 points (hence the minus 3.5). In order for the Chiefs to cover, they would need to win outright or lose by no more than three points. The point spread is generally a multiple of 3 or 7 – field goals are 3 points and touchdowns (6) + PAT (1) are 7 points. However, you may see spreads on NFL games as low as 1 or as high as 14 depending on how evenly or unevenly matched the teams are.
Point Totals: Combined Score
This is a wager on the total collective score from both teams. If the oddsmakers predict that the total score will be 49.5, you have the option to take the OVER or UNDER. If you think the total score will be 49 or less, you would take the UNDER. On the other hand, if you think the score will be 50 or more, you would choose the OVER.
In some cases, the OVER/UNDER number will not have a decimal (.5). Let’s say it was set at 49. Should the combined score hit 49 exactly, it’s called a PUSH and your money would be refunded as if the wager never happened.
Props: Let The Entertainment Begin!
Online sports wagering and entertainment collide on Super Bowl Sunday in the form of Super Bowl props. These are wagers on events that do not necessarily correlate with the game’s end result. Team props and player props include rushing yards, receptions, touchdowns, special teams and who will be named Super Bowl MVP.
Super Bowl prop bets can also involve non-game action like the length of time it will take to sing the National Anthem, the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach, and whether the coin toss will reveal heads or tails. There will also be odds available for the Halftime Show, like which song will be played and what the performers will be wearing.
Super Bowl Parlays: Multiple Wagers On One Bet Slip
Parlays let you bundle many wagers on a single ticket. For instance, you could take the OVER and couple that with a few props. Keep in mind that in order for your entire wager to win, each separate wager must hit. If even one loses, the entire slip is considered a loss.
You don’t have to limit this type of wager to the Super Bowl. You can add other sports to your ticket depending on what’s going on at the same time as the big game.
We have a Parlay Calculator that will let you input up to 100 wagers, though we recommend keeping it to between two and 10. Plus, most of the top sportsbooks only allow parlays that don’t exceed 10 wagers.
Live In-Game Betting: Wagering While The Action Unfolds
In-play wagers offer you the chance to wager while the game is happening in real time. Live odds are updated before (and throughout) each drive, allowing you to guess if it’ll end in a touchdown, field goal or interception. These live betting odds disappear quickly, so if you see some you like, jump on it.
You can also bet on in-game player props, like which player will score the next touchdown, or bet on the exact final score and so much more.
Derivatives: First quarter, first half, and more
These markets are kind of a combination between a prop and the main moneyline, spread, or total bets. You can bet on which teams will be winning or covering the spread for the different chunks of the game. Think a team will start out hot? Hammer their first-half spread.
Super Bowl Futures: Year-round Super Bowl betting
As soon as one Super Bowl ends, it's time to lock in your long-shot bets for the following season.
No, really. You can make a futures bet on which team you think is going to win next year’s big game. This is a great time to make a wager like this since the odds will be decent for each team. The only thing to keep in mind with a wager of this nature is that you won’t know if you won until February of the following year. It can be a long wait, but a big reward.
How Can I Bet On The Super Bowl Legally?
If you're betting with a major sportsbook online that has plenty of reviews and a solid social media presence, you're probably in the clear. One other thing you can check is to see if your state (or country) has legalized sports betting.
Super Bowl Betting Resources
We have everything you need to wager on the National Football League’s biggest Sunday, from a detailed analysis of why each team has the potential to win the Super Bowl, to the tools necessary for you to make smart picks
The following pages are designed to provide everything in regard to how to bet on the NFL Super Bowl, from Super Bowl odds to historical spreads:
- Betting On The Super Bowl: Current odds and lines for betting on the big game
- Total Handle: How much is wagered on the big game in Vegas each year
- NFL Database: How each team has fared against the other in the past
- All-time Spread Odds History: A look at who covered the point spread from each Super Bowl
- NFL Betting Trends: How each team performed historically in specific game-time situations
- Free NFL Picks: Our Super Computer offers a free pick along with the predicted score
How To Bet On The Super Bowl: strategies
- • If you’re unsure of which side to take for any spread, SU or total, check out our NFL Consensus page. Expressed as a percentage, you’ll see who the public is backing. You don’t have to wager with the public, you can go against them if you feel strongly. For more on this, check out our NFL Fading the Public page.
- • Once the lines are announced, they’re not set in stone. Oddsmakers can adjust the odds until right before kickoff. If you see odds at a good price, it’s best to take them early just in case the line moves. But, if you think the public is going to push the line in one direction, you can also wait and try to get better value a few days later.
- • Online gambling is supposed to be entertaining. If it ceases to be fun, take a step back and have some nachos. Watch the game, enjoy the halftime show and worry about how to bet money on Super Bowl later.
Super Bowl Betting Mistakes
Even if you're a great handicapper and think you've got a good idea of which direction the Super Bowl will fall, there are a few common mistakes to avoid.
Bankroll Management
Do not wager beyond your means. If your bankroll can’t handle that huge prop, don’t wager it. It’s always better to wager small amounts than to wager the house right off the bat. Know how much you have to work with ahead of the big game, and plan out your bets accordingly.
Contradicting bets
It's always fun to have plenty of action across the board — then you're guaranteed to win a few bets, right? Yes, but... It's also important to make sure you're not setting yourself up for failure. If you're betting the OVERs on one team's offensive players, it may not be best to take the opposite side to win outright. Ensure you don't have conflicting outcomes in your bets.
Chasing losses
Losses happen. Even the best handicappers in the world are going to lose almost half their bets. The key is to know when to take the L. Some days you win, and some days you lose.
If you're down two units, don't place a two-unit bet that could get you back to even. That's chasing losses, and an easy recipe to cycle down into a massive unit hole.
How To Bet On The Super Bowl FAQ
Where can I wager on the Super Bowl?
There are so many options to choose from in regards to where you can wager on the Super Bowl. We've broken down the best Super Bowl betting sites over at our NFL betting sites page.
Who will win the Super Bowl?
While we would very much like to tell you who will win the Super Bowl, we can’t guarantee with a 100 percent certainty which team will win the big game. However, we can guide you to the best of our abilities with all of the expert resources we have.
How do you wager on the Super Bowl?
You can wager on the Super Bowl in many different ways. You can wager on who will win the game (moneyline) or which team will cover the point spread. You can wager on the total combined score, entertaining props, and multiple wagers on one slip (parlays).
Can you still wager on the Super Bowl?
Yes, you can still wager on the Super Bowl. You can wager on the Super Bowl right up until the confetti falls, and a champion has been crowned. In fact, you can even wager on next year’s Super Bowl if you wish. There’s no time like the present though, so sign up at an online sportsbook today and wager on the big game.
What are prop bets?
Prop bets for Super Bowl are wagers that aren’t necessarily directly tied to the final outcome of the Super Bowl. If wagering on the Super Bowl winning team isn’t exhilarating enough for you, the top NFL sites online offer amateur and professional football bettors with even more ways to make money on entertaining Super Bowl props.
