The Super Bowl halftime show has become just as big of a thing as the actual football game itself. In the world of music, there’s no bigger stage than performing in the middle of the “big game” with 100-plus million watching — not Coachella, not Glastonbury, nothing comes close to the Super Bowl.

Due to all these factors, betting on the halftime show has taken on its own life. Super Bowl prop bets regarding the show performance draw waves and waves of attention. So much that it’s become one of the better betting opportunities at online sportsbooks. This page is your guide to capitalizing on all of it. Keep reading for a full explanation of the show and how to bet on Super Bowl halftime prop bets!

 

Super Bowl 58 Halftime Show

Mark your calendars for Sunday, February 11, 2024 — the date of Super Bowl 58. This year, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada will play host to the NFL matchup, which remains undecided. However, there is no need for Super Bowl halftime show predictions as the show is booked.

The multi-time Grammy winner, Usher, will headline at the 2024 Super Bowl. The long-time pop and R&B star has been in the music game since 1994 but had his heyday in the 2000s. “Yeah” remains his all-time biggest hit — and surely a track we’ll hear live in Las Vegas.

Super Bowl 58 Halftime Show Prop Bets

The best betting sites wasted zero time in releasing Usher prop odds. We won’t list every single Super Bowl halftime show prop, but here’s a table with a few of ‘em:

First song Usher plays at Super Bowl 58:

Song BetUS Bovada BetOnline
Yeah! +250 +250 +250
DJ Got Us Fallin In Love +300 +300 +300
Love in this Club +300 +300 +300
OMG +400 +400 +400
My Way +400 +400 +400
I Don’t Mind +600 +600 +600

Number of backup dancers during Usher’s performance at Super Bowl 58:

Dancers BetUS Bovada BetOnline
Over 75.5 dancers +120 +120 +120
Under 75.5 dancers -165 -165 -165

History of Super Bowl Halftime Shows

Performing at the Super Bowl halftime show has been a thing since the start of the ‘60s. However, it was nothing like the must-watch spectacle of today. It was not a single headliner or headliner(s). Instead, marching bands would play (University of Arizona and Grambling State University bands hold the honor as the first-ever performers). This would be the trend until the ‘90s.

Around this decade, the NFL started trotting out huge name-value musicians at halftime. No artist had bigger name recognition than Michael Jackson in 1993 when he took the world stage. This MJ performance really marked the birth of the modern-day Super Bowl halftime show that we all know, love, and look forward to annually.

MJ’s 1993 performance remains one of the most iconic in history — a measuring stick Usher and future performers get compared to. Ironically, Michael’s sister, Janet, also became a Super Bowl halftime icon, but for the wrong reasons. At the 2004 game, Janet Jackson had her famous “wardrobe malfunction.” Justin Timberlake purposely exposed her right breast to a live TV audience unbeknownst to the network who didn’t censor it.

The NFL famously responded by “toning down” the halftime shows in the years that followed. Risqué acts were replaced with old, but reliable acts like Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, and The Who, among others. Prince in 2007 was a rare highlight, but this period in time was a downturn of sorts for the Super Bowl show.

Fast-forward to today and thankfully, the NFL has mellowed out thanks to Roc Nation. The league partners with the Jay-Z-founded brand to organize its halftime shows now (MTV famously did it back in the day). Roc Nation is well-respected in the hip-hop industry thanks to the influence of Jay Z and his wife, Beyonce’. The Roc has delivered the likes of Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mark J. Blige, Shakira, Snoop Dog, The Weeknd, and most recently, Rihana to the center stage.

Super Bowl 58 Halftime Show Prop Bets

Rihanna set the bar high for Usher last year, playing a number of songs while pregnant with a second child to A$AP Rocky. The Super Bowl 57 halftime show was part performance, part pregnancy announcement — yes, really. The artist known as RiRi cycled through her discography with tracks like “Bitch Better Have My Money” to “Umbrella” and more.

What will Usher have in store in 2024? All we can do is wait and lay bets in the meantime. February 11 can’t come soon enough, right?

Here’s a table listing recent Super Bowl halftime show performers — who, when, and where:

Artist Super Bowl Year Location
Rihanna 2023 Glendale
Snoop Dogg/Eminem/Dr Dre 2022 California
The Weeknd 2021 Tampa
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira 2020 Miami
Maroon 5 and Travis Scott 2019 New Orleans
Justin Timberlake 2018 Minneapolis
Lady Gaga 2017 Houston
Coldplay 2016 Santa Clara
Katy Perry 2015 Glendale
Bruno Mars 2014 New York City
Beyonce 2013 New Orleans
Madonna 2012 Indianapolis
The Black Eyed Peas 2011 Dallas
The Who 2010 Miami

Types of Super Bowl Halftime Show Prop Bets

All right, it pays to know what types of halftime show bets are even out there. Welp, there’s A LOT for NFL betting. However, we’ll quickly cover the most popular bet types:

First Song or Last Song

The first bet we’ll cover is self-explanatory. What will be the first song performed at Super Bowl halftime? And likewise, what will be the last song performed in the setlist?

You saw this bet earlier with Usher, which we listed above. This first song Super Bowl halftime show bet is easy enough in theory, but it’s another thing to actually hit on. Whether it’s Usher or any other artist big enough to headline the Super Bowl, it’s almost a given their discography is packed with hits. That makes picking the opening or final song all the more difficult.

To reflect that difficulty, prop odds are all “plus money” on this bet. If you’re new to sports betting, we’ll quickly explain how to understand these odds.

You see that Usher’s “Yeah” has +250 odds to be the first song at the Super Bowl. This means that a $100 bet on it would pay $250 in profit IF “Yeah” indeed starts the show. You can use this same formula to calculate the payout for other bet options.

Guest Appearances

Ah, yes, guest appearances are common at the halftime show. These are rarely ever advertised ahead of time, which makes them a fun surprise. Welp, it’s that surprise element you’re betting on.

This bet could come in yes-or-no form where bettors simply bet if any guest will come out. However, you’ll also see a betting market where you actually have to pick who the guest(s) end up becoming.

Number of Songs

Betting on the number of songs performed is another common prop. This bet is usually wrapped as an over/under. Online sportsbooks will put a set number and it’s on bettors to choose whether more songs (over) or less (under) will be played.

Usher’s show currently has an over/under of 8.5 on his songs played. So say nine get performed, then the over hits. Eight or less means under. Simple enough, right?

Other Over/Unders

Over/unders aren’t just limited to the number of songs prop. No, you’ll see this bet type on a range of other outcomes.

For example, there’s currently a bet out on the number of times Usher says Vegas out loud. The over/under is 2.5. There’s also a betting line with the amount of Instagram posts Usher puts out on the day of (1.5 posts is the current line).

Random

Ok, we added a random category because there are some Super Bowl halftime props that just can’t be categorized neatly. Many of these random bets are personalized to that performer.

For instance, Rihanna had a bet on whether or not she’d announce a new album. That’s personal to her because she had been out of the music spotlight until her Super Bowl comeback.

Usher right now has a wager on what brand of shoe he’ll wear on stage — Jordan or something else. As you see, these bets can really range on anything and everything.

For a complete list of halftime show prop bets for the next Super Bowl, it’s best to check your favorite betting site. If you don’t have one, we’ll offer suggestions later on this page.

Betting Strategies For Super Bowl Halftime Show

This might be the reason you came for — how to actually win at Super Bowl halftime show betting. Welp, there is no “magic bullet.” We mean, if you saw the bet types we covered above, you know there’s a lot of randomness and sheer luck involved when it comes to halftime betting. But that’s what makes this fun to bet on in the first place.

Still, one big piece of advice we’ll share is this: keep your ears to the ground on leaked information. Obviously, the halftime show involves a lot of moving parts and people. This sometimes means information that can influence bets gets out ahead of time.

Famously, in 2021, someone recorded an audition of the national anthem — from outside the stadium (the audio was working). This leak helped bettors correctly pick the over/under on how long the national anthem would last.

The NFL and Roc Nation try hard to stop leaks, but it’s just impossible to snuff out everything. If you hear something about halftime — from a reliable source, of course — act quickly because bookies can remove the line if the leak becomes too widespread.

Where To Bet On Super Bowl Halftime Show?

By now, if you’ve read every word on this page, you should be more than ready to bet Super Bowl props bets around the show. Maybe the only thing missing is having a reliable betting site to place the wagers at. But hey, we got you here too. For sports betting, you can’t really go wrong with one of the online sportsbooks listed below:

The five oddsmakers above are offshore sites — not regulated ones like BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, or FanDuel sportsbook, as an example. Being offshore might actually make them better for bettors. That’s because the sites we recommended do it big when it comes to bonus bets and Super Bowl betting markets (palays, coin toss, player props, MVP, etc.). Their offshore nature makes them less constrained by rules so more betting opportunities.

Read our FAQ if you have any last remaining questions about halftime show gambling.

Meet the author

Eric Uribe

Eric has been passionate about sports since he was 10 years old. He brings over 10 years of sports journalism experience to his expert coverage of sports betting. Hailing from the US, Eric leverages his diverse expertise covering sports at all levels – from high sch...