Super Bowl Cheat Sheet: Betting Public’s Most Popular Wagers
Here's how the public is betting on the spread, total, moneyline and popular props
Super Bowl LVII between the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will attract more bets and money from the public than any event since, well, last year’s Super Bowl. It’s undoubtedly the biggest event on the sports calendar, as depicted by the flood of wagers available.
But if you’re new to the betting game, or even if you’re well-accustomed to the board, knowing how the public is placing their wagers days before the contest can serve as an advantage. Look at it as a cheat sheet that is revealed by the sportsbooks.
With that, we’ve dissected a handful of reports and releases including insights from BetMGM, DraftKings Sportsbook and PointsBet Sportsbook. And with those as a guide, we compiled some of the most popular bets in the eyes of the betting public.
Let’s start with the point spread. All three books have had the majority of bettors fire on the Eagles to cover the spread, which has settled at Philadelphia -1.5, according to consensus data on NESNBets.com live odds page. As it relates to the percentages, 81% of the handle and 69% of spread bets at PointsBet are on the Eagles while 73% of the handle and 70% of the bets at DraftKings as well as 72% of the handle and 69% of the bets at BetMGM also are on Philadelphia. The Eagles to cover the spread is the most one-sided wager as of Tuesday morning.
Bettors are a bit more split on the total, though every book has received the majority of money and tickets on the Over 50.5. At PointsBet, 59% of the handle and 52% of the bets are on the Over. Additionally, 58% of the money and 53% of bets at BetMGM along with 54% of the handle and 51% of bets at DraftKings also are on the Over. The total has seen a slight uptick after having opened at over/under 49.5, per NESNBets.com.
Picking a Super Bowl champion on the moneyline has not presented an overwhelming consensus, though. And to no surprise. I mean, we’re talking about the two best teams in the NFL with each earning their respective conference’s No. 1 seed for the postseason. Philadelphia, however, has received more money to win straight up at all three books — 58% of the handle at PointsBet, 55% at BetMGM and 51% at DraftKings. However, the Chiefs represent more tickets at both BetMGM (58%) and DraftKings (55%) while PointsBet has KC with 49% of bets in what’s essentially a coin toss at the book.
BetMGM revealed Tuesday how the public is betting on the Super Bowl MVP, too. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (21.9% of handle, 10.9% tickets) leads the way in both categories, as he also does at DraftKings (28.1% of handle, 17.1% of bets). Eagles signal-caller Jalen Hurts (16.1% of handle, 10.4% of tickets at BetMGM; 24.1% of handle, 15.4% of tickets at DraftKings) and Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce (8.0% of handle, 10.8% of tickets) round out an unsurprising top three at BetMGM. Eagles defensive end Haason Reddick has received the third-most bets (12.6%) and handle (11.7%) to win Super Bowl MVP at DraftKings.
Of course, there will be some bettors who opt to stay away from picking a side or the total and instead throw some pizza money on prop bets. It’s one of the many ways fans at home can give themselves something to root for as they surround the TV. Well, some of the most popular props at BetMGM feature Kelce to either score the first touchdown of the game or score an anytime TD. Eagles running back Miles Sanders Over 59.5 rushing yards also is one of the most popular at BetMGM, DraftKings and PointsBet while Hurts to score an anytime touchdown and to throw for Under 240.5 passing yards is attracting plenty of money at PointsBet.
