The Super Bowl turns the excitement surrounding NFL betting up a notch. It’s the biggest night in sports every year, and bettors at legal online sportsbooks have myriad opportunities to place wagers on the big game. If you’re relatively new to betting or just need a refresher, this page can serve as your guide. Use it to elevate your Super Bowl betting experience.
Popular Types of Super Bowl Bets
Ready to get in on the action for Super Bowl 59? We’ve got you covered with the most common types of wagers offered by sportsbooks in legal markets. You’ll find the best Super Bowl betting promos at the top-rated Super Bowl betting apps. Choosing a mobile betting app is the first place to start if you are looking into how to bet on Super Bowl 2025.
Moneyline
Let’s start simple! A moneyline bet is a wager on a team to win. Moneyline odds will be available on both Super Bowl teams, with the favored team paying out less and the underdog paying out more. The odds are determined by numerous factors, including past performance, roster, injuries, and how much money comes in on either side of the bet.
Totals
Totals hinge on the final score of the game. Sportsbooks set a line, say, 52.5. If the teams combine for more than that amount, the Over is successful. Fewer points, and the Under hits. If the final score of Super Bowl 59 was 35-24, the Over would hit because the teams combined for 59 points, well above the line of 52.5.
Point Spreads
Point spreads even things out by giving the favored team a disadvantage in the form of negative points. The underdog, meanwhile, gets adjusted extra points. You might see lines like this:
- Kansas City Chiefs -2.5 (-108)
- San Francisco 49ers +2.5 (-112)
If the Chiefs win by three or more points, they cover the spread and bets on them win. Conversely, if the 49ers win outright or lose by fewer than two points, they cover the spread. For more on these bet types, we have a full point spread betting guide.
Player Props
Player props are bets on a specific player to meet a certain threshold or accomplish something specific in the game. These are not necessarily tied to the game’s outcome. You might see player props such as Patrick Mahomes Over/Under 299.5 passing yards or Ja-Marr Chase to score a touchdown any time. Player props are as wide and varied as the players themselves, so you can peruse heaps of options at legal sportsbooks that offer Super Bowl betting.
Game Props
Game prop bets are outcomes separate from the final score, for the most part. A common example is “Will there be overtime: yes or no?” with odds on yes and no. Another example you might find is odds on the final score total being even or odd.
Team Props
Team props can include various outcomes, such as a team’s first-half total (without their opponent factored in). You may occasionally find other team props, such as odds on a team to score a touchdown and a field goal in the second quarter. These are relatively rare throughout the regular season and more common for big games like the Super Bowl.
Exotic Props
Exotic props are the novelty bets you might hear discussed by your betting-savvy friends. They are not legal everywhere, but some of the more popular exotic markets include:
- Gatorade color poured on the coach by the winning team
- Length of the national anthem over/under
- Coin toss winner
- Coin toss result (heads/tails)
Check your state’s sportsbooks for these markets on Super Bowl 59. If they’re legal, chances are the sportsbooks will offer these bets.
Understanding the Odds for Super Bowl Prop Bets and Specials
Super Bowl odds usually come in American Format, which means you’ll see a plus or minus symbol followed by a number. Here are some examples:
- Player prop — Travis Kelce to Score A Touchdown: -150
- Moneyline — Cincinnati Bengals moneyline: +175
- Future — Baltimore Ravens to Win The Super Bowl: +560
The odds can tell bettors quite a bit, including which team is favored and what the potential payout would be if the bet won. Let’s dive deeper in the next section.
How to Read Super Bowl Odds
We’ll use two examples here to illustrate how odds work and how to read them. These odds are theoretical and will vary based on who plays in Super Bowl 59.
- Lions moneyline: +175
- Chiefs moneyline: -158
In American odds, a minus symbol almost always indicates a favored team. The Chiefs, in this case, are favored to win the game. In minus odds, the number that follows the symbol is the amount you’d need to bet to win $100. A $158 bet on Kansas City would win you $100 in profit (plus the initial wager returned.
The plus symbol indicates an underdog. The Lions odds of +175 label them as the underdog. While bets on the Lions are riskier as a result, they also pay better. A $100 bet on the Lions would profit $175 and return your original wager.
You can also use Super Bowl odds for more complex calculations, such as fair odds with no vig or implied probability. We have a plethora of tools to help you make such calculations if you want, but they aren’t necessary for casual bettors.
Super Bowl Betting Tips: Basic Strategies for Betting on the Big Game
Here are a few of our top tips for betting on the Super Bowl.
Shop for the Best Lines
You can pit sportsbooks against each other by signing up for multiple sites and then comparing the odds at each one. This way, you can find an edge by betting at the sportsbook that offers the best odds on your desired wager. For example, if you see a Chiefs bet with odds of -150 at DraftKings and -160 at FanDuel, the DraftKings bet has more overall value.
Manage Your Bankroll
Whether it’s a simple strategy with small unit sizes or a heftier undertaking like Kelly Criterion, make sure you manage your money well. You should only bet what you can afford to lose, and bankroll management is a key factor there.
Track Your Bets
Take stock of your bets throughout the game, maybe during lesser commercials or at halftime. You can find opportunities to hedge or double down using whatever you have in your bankroll.
You can analyze your results for patterns. If betting on the Super Bowl is your very first foray into sports wagering, obviously, this tip isn’t for you… yet. However, advanced bet tracking is essential once you’ve tried your hand at even a few wagers. Numbers are king, and sports gamblers — both novices and veterans alike — are guaranteed to improve their game with this simple hack.
Keep Live Betting in Mind
Live betting is increasingly popular, and the Super Bowl is a prime place to give it a go. The odds can and will change throughout the game, providing opportunities to maximize your potential winnings. Keep track of the odds as the Super Bowl is being played to find such opportunities and capitalize on them.
Advances Super Bowl Betting Strategies
As with all NFL games, sharp bettors take advantage of any kind of edge they can find for bets on Super Bowl odds.
Research will pay off when it comes to picking the winner of Super Bowl 59, and that includes understanding injuries, draft picks, trades, weather, and even dissension in the locker room. Aside from those factors, skilled bettors also utilize the following strategies:
Alternate Lines
Some sportsbooks offer multiple lines and payout odds for the Super Bowl. Did you dislike the 2.5-point spread for Super Bowl 58? Depending on your sportsbook of choice, you could have gotten the Chiefs or 49ers at a much larger spread with a higher payout. Alternate lines are available for several point spread options, and the odds reflect the amount of risk you take.
Fading the Public
Sportsbooks cash in big when the majority of bets come in on one side, and that team loses.
Fading the public tries to take advantage of the sportsbook’s inherent process of setting lines that produce the highest revenues for the house. To fade the public, bet against what the majority of the public is doing.
Keep in mind that while sharp bettors are given that title for a reason, there is an old saying: “The house always wins.” There is no group or one person that has the answers all the time. However, if fading the public or following sharp money has treated you kindly, by all means, have at it when placing a bet on the Super Bowl betting odds.
Middling
Middling involves placing a bet on one team, waiting for sportsbooks to move the line, and then betting on the other team. This strategy allows you to win on both the favorite and underdog sides of a bet.
Super Bowl 13, for example, featured the favored Pittsburgh Steelers opening at (-3.5) over the Dallas Cowboys. As the game approached, the line moved to a (-4.5) spread.
Bettors that took the Steelers (-3.5) and the Cowboys (+4.5) got paid big. Pittsburgh won the game 35-31, and the middling betting strategy played out to perfection for astute bettors.
Betting on Super Bowl Futures
NFL futures odds are associated with long-term outcomes on a season-wide scale rather than a single game. They start big — pick a team to win the Super Bowl — and get progressively more granular, with markets on a team’s specific record. Some of the most popular Super Bowl odds are futures, and football fans can get in on plenty of other futures markets.
- To win the Super Bowl
- To win the Conference
- To win the Division
- To make the playoffs
- Individual stat leaders
- Player awards, such as MVP or Rookie of the Year
- Coach of the Year
Futures bets have solid odds in terms of payouts, but they are risky because of the wide array of possibilities. Place them with caution.
Where Can I Legally Place Super Bowl Bets?
Sports betting is legal in more than 30 states. Each state has its own laws and restrictions, though the vast majority now offer online sports betting via desktop and mobile.
Novelty bets (aka exotic props) are limited, depending on the specific bet. For example, only Illinois, New Jersey, and West Virginia can offer Super Bowl Odds on the Gatorade Color. Meanwhile, Arizona, New York, and Virginia all prohibit bets on the MVP Award. Check with your state’s sportsbooks to see which bets are available for Super Bowl 59 in more detail.
More Super Bowl Betting Resources
You can use our library of sports betting tools to give yourself an edge with Super Bowl odds. Here are some of the top resources we offer for Super Bowl fans and NFL bettors.
How to Bet on Super Bowl 59 FAQ
The easiest bet to place and to understand is a moneyline bet. Wager on a team to win and receive a payout if they emerge victorious.
Any legal sportsbook worth your consideration will have Super Bowl props. Game props, team props, player props, and exotic props are offered at all of our top recommended sportsbook sites.
Odds of +1200 represent a fairly unlikely outcome. You’re most likely to see such odds on a futures bet, such as on the Eagles winning the Super Bowl or something similar. A $100 bet would pay out $1,300 (the initial bet back plus $1,200 in profit).
This can vary, but the most common bets on the Super Bowl are moneylines, point spreads, and totals. Many others exist, such as player props, exotics, and more.
In some states, yes. Coin toss bets are accepted in IL, IN, MD, MI, MS, NJ, NY, PA, VT, WA, WV, and WY. Sportsbooks may have specific rules surrounding such novelty bets, so check the terms and conditions.
Super Bowl futures are bets on a specific team to win the big game. These are often placed early on in the season or later on, and the odds will differ based on when you place the bet and how the team is doing.
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