It is expected that over 25 million Americans will bet almost $7 billion on the Super Bowl this weekend.
A fair portion of those bets will be on completely silly wagers.
That’s right, we’re talking about prop bets. Officially known as a “proposition bet” or a side bet, prop bets provide the ability to bet on all sorts of things, aside from the customary end-of-game outcomes, such as who wins, by how much, and how many points are scored.
Like many of the folks who will be watching Super Bowl LIV, some prop bets are about the game itself, while others may be about the commercials or the halftime show.
You can bet on things like who will score the first touchdown, who will win Super Bowl MVP, Which of Shakira songs will be sung first during the halftime show, How many players will have a passing attempt, How many defensive and special teams touchdowns will there be, Will any kick be returned for a touchdown, and how much time will there be remaining on the clock after the 1st score in the 1st quarter.
But it can get a lot weirder than that. I’m channeling that scene in National Lampoon’s Vegas Vacation where Clark and company find themselves at some run-down casino “downtown,” where you can play games of chance like “War” and “Pick a Number Between One and Ten.”
Well, ‘Luck be a Lady’ and all that. All in good fun, right?!
Allow us to highlight some of the silliest wagers being offered by oddsmakers. BookMaker.eu has compiled a list of some of the weirdest prop bets for this Sunday’s Big Game, and we’ve made some of our own additions:
(Quoted Odds below are as of January 23, 2020)
Will they show the Golden Gate Bridge?
Yes 2/1
No 1/3
Total times Mike Shanahan is shown during the game?
Over 1.5 2/3
Under 1.5 1/1
Will Broadcasters, Joe Buck or Troy Aikman say “Favorite” in reference to the odds?
Yes 2/1
No 2/5
Will Buck or Aikman say “Underdog” in reference to the odds?
Yes 5/2
No 2/7
Will MC Hammer say “Hammer Time” in a Cheetos Commercial?
Yes 10/11
No 10/11
Will Betty White be in a Snickers Commercial?
Yes 6/5
No 2/3
Will a Mountian Dew commercial say “Here’s Johnny?”
Yes 5/2
No 2/7
Will Demi Lovato omit a word from the National Anthem?
Yes 9/1
No 1/22
Will Alex Rodriguez be shown during the Halftime show?
Yes 5/2
No 2/7
Will either singer drink Pepsi?
Yes 7/1
No 1/12
Will Gloria Estefan make an appearance on stage?
Yes 4/1
No 1/5
Will Jay-Z be shown during the Halftime Show?
Yes 7/13
No 1/13
Will Rihanna make an appearance on stage?
Yes 8/1
No 1/20
Will Pitbull appear on stage?
Yes 2/3
No 1/1
Will Shakira and J-Lo both sing in Spanish?
Yes 1/4
No 3/1
Will Ricky Martin make an appearance on stage?
Yes 3/2
No 1/2
Will Tom Brady be mentioned?
Yes 1/4
No 3/1
Will Colin Kaepernick be mentioned?
Yes 3/1
No 1/4
Who will they mention first on the TV broadcast?
Joe Montana 2/1
Jerry Rice 3/2
Steve Young 4/1
Who will the MVP mention first after getting the award?
Teammates 1/1
God/Religion 5/2
Coach or Coaches 5/1
Winning City 5/1
Family 7/1
Other 20/1
Will any player be arrested in Miami after the game?
Yes 7/1
No 1/14
Zion Williamson points (-110) vs. Raheem Mostert rushing attempts -0.5 (-110)
49ers team points (-110) vs. Russell Westbrook points (-110)
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Anyway, I’ve got my money on A-Rod and Demi Lovato being arrested while Shakira sings a ballad in Spanish. Got great odds on that one. Let it ride!
Oh, and if its just ordinary betting you’re into, the Kansas City Chiefs are 1.5 point favorites over the San Francisco 49ers. Ho hum.
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Photo Credit: Chris Carlson/Associated Press