Super Bowl 55 is only a few days away and the Kansas City Chiefs (14-2) are slated to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
However, early betting information suggests that a majority of bettors are backing the Chiefs to take home the Vincent Lombardi Trophy, according to BetOnline.
Adam Burns, Sportsbook Manager at BetOnline told US Gambling Sites that 63 percent of bettors at his sportsbook are on the Chiefs at -3.0 or -3.5.
When the spread moved to -3.5 for a brief time last week, Burns said that some his “smart bettors” were putting some money on the Bucs +3.5 with the hook in play.
With the OVER/UNDER for the game at 56 as of Friday morning, oddsmakers anticipate a potentially high-scoring affair. According to Burns, bettors feel the same way as 69 percent of wagers at his book are on the OVER.
The best-case scenario for BetOnline’s Super Bowl exposure at this point is if the Chiefs win by one or two points, Burns said, as the operator also has massive liability on the Bucs in the Super Bowl futures market.
Exposure is another word for “risk,” and it’s the amount of money a sportsbook could lose for a wager or event. No sportsbook wants to lose more money than they have to.
Super Bowl MVP: Who are Fans Taking?
Propositions, most commonly known as “prop bets,” are always popular when it comes to the Super Bowl.
One of the more popular bets is picking who’ll be crowned Super Bowl MVP.
Quarterbacks are typically the favorites to win, just like Patrick Mahomes (-110) and Tom Brady (+225) are for Super Bowl LV. After all, the Super Bowl MVP has gone to a quarterback 30 times — more than any other position.
However, according to Burns, aside from the quarterbacks, a lot of bettors are taking the Chiefs TE Travis Kelce (+1000) to become Super Bowl MVP.
Kelce has the third-best odds of winning MVP and, if he did so, would become the first tight end to win it.
When the Chiefs defeated the Buccaneers 27-24 in Week 12, Kelce had eight receptions for 82 yards, so the big-game potential is there.
Other Popular Prop Bets
Another popular Super Bowl bet this year, according to Burns, is whether or not there will be a roughing the passer call in the Big Game.
Odds from BetOnline as of Friday, February 5.
Will There be a Roughing the Passer Penalty
- No -170
- Yes +140
Burns said that 80 percent of bettors wagering on this prop picked that there will indeed be a roughing the passer penalty at some point in the game. For reference, there were zero roughing the passer calls at Super Bowl 54.
Betting on the Super Bowl’s musical performances also make for interesting prop bets.
One of those prop bets comes when betting on the length of the national anthem:
Length of US National Anthem
- Over 1 minute 57 seconds -140
- Under 1 minute 57 seconds +100
So far, Burns said that this is one of the prop bets that’s split 50/50. For the longest time since 1990, the average anthem runtime was 1:54.
However, since 2010, the average length has been 2:00.
Will Grammy-nominated artists Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church follow the trend? Only time will tell.
