How to Bet on the Super Bowl: A Complete Guide to Betting on the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is one of the most eagerly awaited sporting events in the world, and it’s arguably the biggest sports occasion in the entire US. After a grueling season, two teams face each other in the annual showpiece to win football’s biggest prize. In the 2023 edition, the Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to win their third Super Bowl title.
Attending the Super Bowl is a huge dream for many supporters. But the good news is that even without visiting the stadium, you can still get involved in the action. The Super Bowl is naturally broadcast to millions of people throughout the world, and some fans even get involved with betting on the big game.
These days, football betting is much more diverse than simply choosing the result – though you can always do that as well. You have the option to bet on individual players doing great things, and you can also win money based on the half-time result. On top of that, you can cash out before the game has even finished betting if you play online.
One problem with having so much choice is that, as a beginner, you might find betting on the Super Bowl quite challenging to understand. To help you get the most out of your experience, we’ve put together this easy-to-understand guide so that you can wager with more confidence.
How to Football Bet: What Types of Bets Are Available?
Like other forms of sports betting, football wagering features several types of bets. The most common for the Super Bowl is to bet on the full-time result. You will win money if the team that you bet on wins, and the odds will differ. If you bet on the team that was perceived to be the favorite pre-kick-off, you’ll win less money than if the underdog won.
In addition to betting on the full-time result, you can wager on each of the following.
Half-Time Result
While the most common way to bet is to wager on who will win the game, that’s not the only option at your disposal. These days, many sports betting websites will also let you bet on what you think the result will be at half-time. You can choose whether you think one team will be winning, and it’s also possible to pick if you think that the half-time result will be a tie.
Betting on the half-time result is especially useful if there is one team that is a clear favorite in the game. You’ll often get greater value for money and longer odds because it’s normally harder to predict than the full-time result.
Accumulators
Are you interested in watching multiple games over the football weekend? If so, you can always consider placing an accumulator. This is simply where you bet on the result in more than two games; as the name suggests, the odds will accumulate, and you’ll get a bigger payout if you win.
Although not as popular in the US, accumulators are frequently placed in the UK – especially when wagering on soccer. As long as the state you’re based in allows this kind of betting, you can do a similar thing with the NFL where you live.
Generally speaking, you are much better off choosing 3-6 results at most. While you can add more, it will become much harder to actually win. Accumulators usually offer a cash-out option in-play, which can allow you to either take some percentage of your winnings or recuperate a bit of your losses.
Over/Under
Another common type of bet in sports is over/under, which is one form of spread betting. The good thing about this kind of bet is that you do not need to guess the correct result. You can still win money if you bet over or under a certain number of total points, regardless of the game winner.
With over/under betting, you can combine these types of wagers with who you think will win the game. Again, if you do this, you can get solid value for money compared for games where there is a strong favorite.
See also: What Are the Odds? How to Read Betting Odds and More
Betting on Individual Players
One of the most exciting kinds of Super Bowl bets is to wager on individual players doing something. For example, you can bet on whether you think one player will score a certain number of points.
Betting on individual players often returns higher payouts, and it’s a good idea to think about who is likely to show up on the big scene.
Futures Betting
Futures betting is a type of wagering that you can try if you want to bet on the Super Bowl before you know which teams will make the final two. With this type of bet, you wager on the season’s result well in advance; many people do it right at the start of the campaign.
The odds are often longer in advance. But if one team has a good start to the season, you can still get good value for money if you think that they’ll keep it up over the long run.
How to Read Football Odds in Sports Betting
Once you’ve become more familiar with the different types of betting in football, you should also learn how to read football odds. These can be quite confusing for beginners, but even if you already know how to bet, changing from one odds system to another can feel a bit strange.
There are three types of football betting odds that you should understand:
- European betting odds
- American betting odds
- Fractional betting odds
Each of them has the same value, but they read differently. Let’s now cover each of them.
European Betting Odds
European betting odds are also known as decimal odds. EVS for these is 2.00, which means that in addition to getting your stake back, you’ll receive winnings of an equal value. Meanwhile, 1.00 means that you’ll get half your stake in addition to what you originally wagered.
The closer to zero that European betting odds are, the more likely a result is to happen. Thus, you’ll receive a lower payout. But the more that a number is bigger than 2.00, the larger amount of money you’ll win if your bet pays off.
American Betting Odds
American betting odds are probably what you’ll experience when betting on the Super Bowl, especially if you live in the US. Whereas European betting odds begin at 2.00 for breaking even, American betting odds will instead start at +100.
The further away from 100 that a bet is (e.g. -1,000), the more likely a result is to occur. As a result, your payout will be lower. But on the other hand, odds with + will have a bigger payout.
Fractional Betting Odds
Fractional betting odds are perhaps the easiest to understand if you’re a complete beginner. Evens (also known as EVS or 1/1) is the same as 2.00 in European betting and +100 in American betting. If the second number is bigger (e.g., 8/15), your payout will be lower. On the other hand, a bigger first number (e.g., 15/8) is less likely to occur – but it will be more likely to come in.
Where Are Betting Football Opportunities Legal?
Before you begin thinking about what Super Bowl bets you’ll place, it’s important that you’re in a jurisdiction where football betting is legal.
Sports betting has become very popular ever since PASPA was repealed in 2018, and many states have now legalized some form of sports wagering. Compared to online casino gaming, online sports betting is much more widespread as well.
Sports betting is live and legal in 37 US states as of November 2023, in addition to Washington DC. Vermont has legalized sports wagering, but the market is not yet live. It’s worth noting that in some states, you can bet on the Super Bowl both online and in person. Others, however, will only allow you to wager in person. So, you should check where you are to ensure that you’ve got access to the type of betting that you want.
In most US states, you need to be at least 21 years old to wager on sports.
How to Bet on NFL Games
Betting on NFL games is very easy to do these days, and we’ll cover both online and offline options in the sections below.
Online
When participating in online NFL wagering, you can play on both your smartphone and computer. The odds that you see are normally the same as what you would get in real life, and in some cases, you might even get better potential winnings than would otherwise be the case.
If you want to bet on sports online, you’ll need to sign up for an account at your preferred operator. As part of the process, you will have to verify your identity. Then, you can deposit money into your account and place bets on your preferred events.
Offline
Offline sports betting is widespread throughout the US, and many casinos have sportsbooks. On top of that, you can often find sportsbooks close to stadiums on matchdays.
When you place an offline bet, you’ll typically fill out a coupon and hand it to the person at the till. When handing over that bet, you will also pay however much you want to stake.
Offline betting on the NFL can be a viable option if you live in a state where sports wagering is illegal and can’t sign up for an online account, but you’re now visiting a place where it’s permitted.
How to Bet on Football Games Online
Because sports betting in the US is now so popular, you will find plenty of places to wager online. Many of these offer similar products and services, so you’re mainly going to choose whichever one appeals to you the most. It’s also a good idea to look for different welcome offers, as these can help you get a better start.
Some of the most popular sports betting brands in the US are:
- BetMGM
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- Bet365
- BetRivers
Check to see which ones are available in your state. Most of them are quite widespread in the US, so you hopefully shouldn’t have too many problems picking one.
How to Win at Football Betting: Top Tips
Football betting might seem quite easy if you already watch the NFL a lot. But as anyone who’s wagered before will tell you, it’s a lot harder than you think. You will probably lose more often than you win, especially in the early stages.
Fortunately, you can try a couple of different strategies to become more proficient at betting on football.
Here are a couple of tips you can implement to become more successful at betting on the football:
- Limit the number of teams in your accumulators. As mentioned before, bigger bets can result in larger odds – but you’re relying on more external factors to win.
- Don’t blindly choose the favorite. Shocks occur more often than you may expect.
- If there is a game with a heavy favorite, choose a more niche bet – such as spread betting – rather than simply picking the outright winner.
- Aim for more frequent smaller wins than a big jackpot victory. The latter might happen, but it’s not likely for most people.
- Only bet on games where you have a knowledge of what’s going to happen.
- Look out for betting offers that provide free bets. You will then at least be able to experiment and see what works for you.
How Do I Collect My Money for a Winning Football Bet?
When you win a football bet, your first thought will be how to cash in. If you play online, you don’t need to do anything; the money will appear in your betting account soon after the win has been processed. From there, you can then withdraw the money to your bank account.
If you win offline, things are a little different. Generally speaking, you’ll need to go to the place where you placed the bet – or at least a branch that belongs to the same brand. Here, you can show the ticket to the cashier. Once all the necessary protocols have been completed, you will then receive your winnings.
It’s often much better to cash in your winnings online, so you should consider playing on your smartphone or tablet instead.
Everything You Need to Know About Super Bowl Betting in One Place
The Super Bowl is one of the most exciting events on the global sporting calendar, and hundreds of millions of fans get involved in the action on a yearly basis. Even if your team isn’t involved, the game is a must-watch for all football fans. And if you’re interested in making the games more engaging, you may want to consider betting on the Super Bowl.
Before you begin playing, it’s a good idea to consider the different aspects of betting on football. For one, you’ll need to understand how to read betting odds. On top of that, it’s a smart idea to know what the different types of football bets are. Once you have those two things checked off, you can begin looking at unique betting markets and more.
Having read this guide, you should now have a much better understanding of how to bet on the Super Bowl. You can also implement these tips for different versions of football.
See also: How Long Does an NFL Game Last? + Other Useful Things to Know
