Super Bowl 54 National Anthem Prop Odds

UPDATE: Demi Lovato clocked in for the National Anthem at 1 minute 49 seconds to go UNDER. Props at  Bovada were set at 1 minute 55 seconds, 2 minutes and 2 minutes and four seconds.

Like bacon and eggs – or sausages and eggs, or ham and eggs, or basically any breakfast meat and eggs – the Star-Spangled Banner goes hand in hand with the NFL. You know what else goes with the NFL? Betting. But you knew that because that’s why you’re here. At Odds Shark, we understand that this year’s Super Bowl is going to be a haven for casual and pro bettors alike.

The American national anthem is a staple at sporting events big and small across the United States but arguably the most scrutinized is the performance done each year at pro football’s biggest event. The NFL always likes to get a big name in the music industry to sing the anthem and we are only days away from pop star Demi Lovato belting out the Star-Spangled Banner for Super Bowl 54.

Sportsbooks know a lot of bettors will be laying big dollars on betting props involving the length of the national anthem and opened with an OVER/UNDER betting line of one minute 55 seconds.

How to Make a Prop Bet on the National Anthem

Most prop bets are specialized wagers that have no bearing on the outcome of the actual game. In this case, a prop bet on the national anthem would be like an OVER/UNDER, aka a totals wager. You would need to decide if the amount of time it takes for Demi Lovato to sing the anthem will be longer or shorter than the oddsmaker’s set time.

Since the release of the prop in the early hours of Thursday, January 16, sportsbooks have had to scramble in adjusting the line after early bettors hammered the OVER. Bovada moved the line up to two minutes with the OVER favored at -230. However, the line has dropped back to the original at one minute and 55 seconds with the OVER coming in at -220 while the UNDER is +155. If you feel like your research has pointed to the OVER but don't like the line at -220, there is an alternate line of two minutes and four seconds with the OVER set at +240 and the UNDER coming back at -340

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of Bovada

Lovato’s Past Anthem Performances

Demi Lovato is no stranger to singing the anthem at huge sporting events. A quick search on YouTube and you can find many different renditions of her slaying the Star-Spangled Banner.

Her most recent high-profile anthem performance came during the Conor McGregor-Floyd Mayweather boxing match in 2017. See below for the full video and for reference, she clocked out at 2:12.

Another instance of her singing the national anthem came during Game 4 of the 2015 World Series between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals. She clocked out at 1:58 and even held the “brave” for a few seconds to milk the clock. See for yourself:

These are just a couple of examples but it shows that the last couple of times she’s been tasked with this song of patriotism, she adds a few runs near the end and really goes for it.

The Ultimate Guide to Super Bowl 54 Prop Betting

Super Bowl Anthem Past Results

A wise man once said, “it’s hard to predict the future without knowing your past” and that man was me. Jokes aside, you can never do too much research when betting this prop so it’s important to know how past singers have done in this scenario and whether musical genre plays a part in the handicapping.

It’s worth mentioning that since Super Bowl 40, the average length for the national anthem is one minute 57 seconds. The last time the Super Bowl was in Miami, it was in 2010 for Super Bowl 44 with Carrie Underwood as the crooner and she clocked out at one minute 47 seconds.

The final tip when betting this is to remember that sportsbooks grade this prop out for the first time the singer says “brave” to conclude the anthem. For Super Bowl 53, Gladys Knight sang “brave” three times to conclude the Star-Spangled Banner and OVER bettors thought their bet was in the bag until being corrected in the fine print. Most sportsbooks ended up paying out the bet anyway but you can’t count on them to be this generous after last year’s debacle.

More Anthem Props for Demi

Did you think you could only bet on the runtime of the national anthem? Guess again because with it being the Super Bowl, sportsbooks go all-in on the props and handicap some odd angles.

They range from whether Demi Lovato is wearing a skirt, dress or gown while singing the Star-Spangled Banner to if she will forget a word to the song as Christina Aguilera did at Super Bowl 45.

Here are the available props with Bovada and keep checking back to see if additional markets become available.

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of Bovada

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of Bovada

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of Bovada

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Odds as of February 2 courtesy of BetOnline

Francis Scott Key, a lawyer from Maryland who would probably be a Ravens fan if he were alive today and have complete faith in Lamar Jackson, wrote the poem that the anthem is based on. After drawing inspiration from the American flag that was known at the time as the star-spangled banner, Key sat at his desk, his wooden teeth whistling, and penned a ditty about a wild night against the British complete with rockets glaring red, bombs bursting and freedom in the land of the free and the home of the Atlanta Braves.

Now, it’s up to you, the bettor, to decide how long it will take for Demi to get through Key’s tune.