In addition to the commercials and the halftime show, there’s another element that is present during the Super Bowl that is missing during other NFL games – ridiculous prop bets.
Prop bets are funny little wagers that are basically only offered during the Super Bowl, meant to entice veteran and rookie gamblers alike to bet on things like the length of the National Anthem and what color of Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach.
In addition to letting people bet on things that have nothing to do with the game, prop bets are also more lucrative in some cases.
“There’s usually like 15-20 percent juice (the amount of profit for the house) on these props,” said Lee Sterling of Paramountsports.com. “The normal bet is 11-10 (percent). (Casinos) just have a bigger edge.”
They also give people something to do.
“That’s one of the reasons the Super Bowl has so many prop bets,” said David Pemberton, director of specialty games at Caesars Palace. “You get two weeks from the time this game ends until the Super Bowl. There’s a lot of time for people to make bets … almost anything you can think of for people to wager on.”
Here are just a few of the prop bets being offered for Super Bowl XLVIII:
- What will be the highest decibel level shown on TV? Over/under = 135.5
- Will the coin flip come up heads or tails? Heads: even; Tails: even
- How many false-start penalties will the 49ers commit? Over/under = Two
- Will it will snow during the game at MetLife Stadium? Yes: +150; No: -200
- Will any Seahawks player kiss his biceps after scoring a TD? Yes: +400; No: -800
Since the game is being played outdoors in early February, the potential for bad weather is affecting the way that prop bets are being created this year. The MGM Mirage in Las Vegas is delaying the release of its prop bets because of the potential for snow and record-low temperatures. That means that people who want to bet on how many touchdown passes Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning might throw are going to have to wait.
No matter what happens with the weather, gamblers can still place a wager about whether Manning will “play a down in the 2014 NFL regular season.” (The odds are basically two-to-one that he will play in 2014.)
For all the people who care about what happens in the actual game, the Seahawks are getting two-and-a-half points and the over/under is currently set at 47.
Evan Bleier is a freelance writer based out of wherever he can plug in his laptop. You can send him questions, comments and Buffalo wing suggestions @itishowitis or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
