Sports betting Christmas. The mecca of sports betting. In the world of sports wagering, Super Bowl Sunday is known by many names. Ultimately, though, what the Super Bowl is most known for in the industry is being the biggest day of annual sports betting in North America.
Whether you’re a professional sports bettor or a recreational player, odds are that you’ve made a bet on the Super Bowl. And the real beauty of betting on the Super Bowl is that there’s a wager for everyone. Whether you’re glued to the TV set each Sunday of the NFL season or you just like to watch the Big Game, when it comes to Super Bowl betting, we can all go all in.
There’s so much going on during Super Bowl Sunday, it can seem like pure madness trying to keep track of it all. However, it can also add up to profitable madness if you know what you’re doing.
This is what this Super Bowl betting guide is for. We’re showing you how to bet on the Super Bowl for maximum success. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get right to it.
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about betting on the Super Bowl is right here in this handy guide on how to bet on the Super Bowl. So read on to find out how to bet on Super Bowl Sunday.
How to place a Super Bowl bet
Placing a Super Bowl bet is simple once you know what to look for. Start by opening the Super Bowl betting market, then choose the type of wager you want to make.
- Choose your market: Moneyline, point spread, total points, props, futures, or live betting.
- Select your pick: For example, choose which team wins, whether the total goes over or under, or which player scores a touchdown.
- Enter your stake: Add the amount you want to risk.
- Check the payout: Review the odds and potential return before confirming.
- Place the bet: Confirm only when the details are correct.
Popular Super Bowl bet types
| Bet Type | What You're Predicting |
|---|---|
| Moneyline | Which team wins the game |
| Point Spread | Margin of victory |
| Total (Over/Under) | Total combined points scored |
| Prop Bets | Specific player or game events |
| Same-Game Parlays | Multiple outcomes in one ticket |
| Live Betting | Bets placed during the game |
Types of Super Bowl bets
Just about everyone has their eyes on the Super Bowl. Annually, the Super Bowl attracts well over 100 million U.S. viewers, with recent editions topping 125 million across TV and streaming sites. With all these eyeballs fixated on the Big Game, online sportsbooks roll out a massive amount of bets. Let's break down the most popular Super Bowl betting markets.
Moneyline
The moneyline is the most common and simplest form of Super Bowl wager. It's a straight win bet on the outcome of the game. A moneyline is based on a $100 bet. Let's take the betting line from Super Bowl LX to help explain how the moneyline works.
In that game, the moneyline read Seattle Seahawks -235, New England Patriots +194. A negative number indicates that the team is the favorite to win the game. A positive number is always assigned to the underdog in the betting line.
If you had bet on the Patriots in this game, a $100 wager would have returned a tidy profit of $194. However, placing a wager on the favored Seahawks wouldn't have paid out nearly as handsomely. The -235 line on Seattle means that you'd need to bet $235 on the Seahawks to be able to realize a profit of $100.
Moneyline bets are easy to figure out. If the team you bet on wins the game, then you win your bet.
Point spread
When you place a wager on the Super Bowl point spread, you are again betting on your team to win the Big Game. Well, you are if you bet on the favorite.
Looking again at Super Bowl LX, here's what the point spread looked like: Seattle Seahawks -4.5, New England Patriots +4.5. The line indicates that the Seahawks are the favorites, with the Patriots set as underdogs. The spread numbers will usually be combined with the odds that the bet will pay out. In the majority of instances, this betting line is set at -110.
In a point spread wager, you are either getting points or laying points. In this game, if you choose to bet on the favored Seahawks, you are laying 4.5 points. That means the Seahawks would need to win by at least five points for your point spread bet to be cashing as a winner.
Should you choose to back the underdog Patriots at +4.5, you'll be getting points. A point spread bet on New England would cash if the Pats won the game. It would also cash if the underdog Patriots lost by four or fewer points.
In a point spread wager, the favorites need to cover the spread. Underdogs only need to beat the spread. A point spread wager on an underdog can win even if the team doesn't.
Total points (over/under)
A total wager on the Super Bowl game is unique because it has nothing to do with which team wins the game. The total, also called the over/under, is a bet on how many points the two teams will combine to score in the Big Game.
For Super Bowl LX, the total was set at 45.5 points. You would either bet the two teams to go over or go under that assigned total. A half point is generally included in most total betting lines. The half point prevents the possibility of the two teams scoring the exact number of points set for the over/under, since teams can't score a half point.
On this line, if the game ended Seattle 31, New England 24, the over would be the winning play, since 31 + 24 = 55. However, if the final score was Seattle 31, New England 14, the under would be the winning wager, since 31 + 14 = 45.
Odds will also be assigned to the over/under betting lines. Again, it's most common that these odds will be set at -110. You will also see -105 or -115 on occasion.
Same-game parlays
Among the newest types of Super Bowl bets is the same-game parlay. While parlays — the combining of several items into one all-encompassing wager — have been a staple of sports betting for decades, there's a unique element to same-game parlays. And the uniqueness is identified right there in the name of the wager.
With a same-game Super Bowl parlay, you are assembling several outcomes from that specific game into one wager. For instance, it could have been Seattle in the moneyline, the total to go over, and New England quarterback Drake Maye to throw 1+ interceptions. If all three elements of this same-game parlay come in, your bet is a winner.
Parlays are popular because for a low stake, you can realize a significant return. But approach all parlays with caution. Expecting multiple events to all happen is rarely a winning combination. It's kind of like playing the lottery.
Live betting
Another relative newcomer to the array of Super Bowl wagers is live betting. Also known as in-play wagering, with live betting, you are betting on events that happen during the game.
These events can include how the next touchdown will be scored, which team will score next, or which player will score the next TD. Live betting outcomes happen fast, so if these are the types of bets you want to make on the Super Bowl, be certain to choose an online sportsbook that is quick to post the odds for these in-play wagers.
The wild, wonderful world of Super Bowl prop bets
The wager that truly makes the Super Bowl unique is the Super Bowl prop bet. Prop betting is a staple of the NFL season. Each week, you can wager on such props as who will score the game's first TD, and statistical outcomes that include over/unders on players' rushing yardage, reception yardage, and passing yardage.
Those wagers are all available on the Super Bowl, but when it comes to Super Bowl props, the fun is only beginning. You can place a prop bet on just about every moment of the Super Bowl game.
With Super Bowl novelty props, there's an opportunity for everyone. This even includes those people who don't know a lick about football and could truly care less which team wins the game and gets to announce to the world that they're going to Disneyland.
Novelty prop bets are as much a part of the Super Bowl as first downs and illegal procedure. They are a cottage industry.
You can bet on the length of the Star Spangled Banner that will be performed before kickoff. The coin toss offers several props, from will it be heads or tails, to which team will win the toss, and will the team that wins the toss also win the game? You can also bet on the color of Gatorade that the winning team will dump over the head of their coach.
Every Big Game, there is also a litany of prop bets relating to the acts performing during the halftime show.
Over the years, the halftime show has featured legendary acts from Lady Gaga to Katy Perry to the Rolling Stones. And there are prop wagers on them as well.
What song will they perform first? Who might show up and make a guest appearance with the headliner?
Birth of the Super Bowl prop bet
According to lore, Super Bowl prop betting started with a trip to the end zone by the Fridge. William (The Refrigerator) Perry was a rookie defensive tackle with the Chicago Bears during the 1985 NFL season. Bears coach Mike Ditka began to deploy the 6-foot-2, 335-pound Perry in the offensive backfield. He was taking handoffs and scoring the odd touchdown.
As the Bears reached Super Bowl XX, a Las Vegas Sportsbook came up with a clever promotional idea — a wager on whether the Fridge would score a TD in the big game.
It opened at odds of 20-1, but so many people bet it that the odds were down to 2-1 by game time. Perry did score a TD in Chicago's 46-10 win, and the sportsbooks paid out thousands of dollars to cover the winning wagers.
At the same time, they realized that they'd hit upon a bonanza. The attention this wager brought to their betting house was far more valuable than the money they'd lost.
The Super Bowl prop bet was born.
Super Bowl futures
As soon as the Super Bowl ends, you can place a bet on which team will win the Super Bowl.
Wait. What?
Almost from the moment of the conclusion of one season's Super Bowl game, the leading online sportsbook will be out with future book odds on the next Super Bowl game.
Futures are intriguing bets. You will be able to access much longer odds on teams than will be available during the course of the NFL regular season and playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl.
For instance, at the outset of the 2025 NFL season leading to the 2026 Super Bowl, the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks were considered long shots to win Super Bowl LX. Across the leading sportsbooks, the Seahawks were given odds ranging between +6000 and +6500. These moneyline odds meant a $100 bet on the Seahawks would have returned $6,000 to $6,500, ranking them among the lower-tier contenders before their unexpected championship run.
Looking ahead to the next Big Game, here are the latest future book odds on the 2027 Super Bowl:
- Los Angeles Rams +800
- Baltimore Ravens +950
- Seattle Seahawks +1000
- Buffalo Bills +1000
- Philadelphia Eagles +1000
- Kansas City Chiefs +1000
Super Bowl betting advice
In all honesty, Super Bowl betting isn't all that different than normal NFL games. All of the same NFL betting principles still apply. The most important one is that you do your research. You really have to study the matchup between the two Super Bowl teams and try to spot out strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited during the game.
The only betting tip we have that's specifically geared for the big game is this: don't spread yourself too thin. As you've read, there are hundreds upon hundreds of Super Bowl bets available. That's exciting, but it can also be overwhelming if you try to bet on too many of them. Instead, hone in on high-confidence plays and then commit more money to them.
How to bet legally on the Super Bowl?
Legal sports betting is now mainstream in the United States. Since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling overturning PASPA, states have been free to regulate the industry individually. As of 2026, 39 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting in some form, though the availability of online wagering still varies by state.
That means for most Americans, betting on the Super Bowl is perfectly legal with a licensed sportsbook — but always check your local regulations.
If you live in a state or country where sports betting remains restricted, many players turn to offshore online sportsbooks, which operate under the auspices of regulators that are located beyond the U.S. border. While these platforms accept American customers, they aren't regulated domestically, so protections and oversight differ from state-licensed operators. Still, many of these sites are trusted entities that have been in business for decades. You can rest assured that betting with them is a safe, secure option.
How can you bet on the Super Bowl?
If you've read everything in this article, you should know how to gamble on the Super Bowl by now. The next step along your Super Bowl betting path is to choose the right online sportsbook for placing your bets.
If you choose to go with one of our recommended offshore books, you will find that they stack up well against regulated giants like BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, and FanDuel. In fact, offshore sites often roll out bigger welcome bonuses, more frequent odds boosts, and extra promo codes. With the right timing, you can even snag Super Bowl bets that feel practically free.
That's betting on the Super Bowl in a nutshell. If you still have any doubts about how to bet on the Super Bowl online, be sure to read our FAQs.
Super Bowl betting bankroll tips
It’s easy to get carried away during the Super Bowl because sportsbooks offer hundreds of betting markets. Set a budget before kickoff and avoid chasing losses during live betting.
Many casual bettors spread too much money across random prop bets. Instead, focus on a small number of wagers you actually researched and feel confident about.
Common Super Bowl betting mistakes
- Betting too many prop bets without research
- Chasing losses during live betting
- Ignoring injury and weather reports
- Placing large parlays just for massive payouts
- Overreacting to public betting trends
