Total Amount Bet On Super Bowl
Many fans would be keen to use risk-free bet offers for a free shot at the Super Bowl winner at advantageous odds. For instance, if you bet on the Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl before they signed Tom Brady you would get odds near +3000. These are extremely strong odds and gives your bet of $500 the chance to turn into $15,500. Super Bowl Betting Tips. The primary betting markets are open for two full weeks between the time the matchup is set on Championship Sunday and when the Super Bowl finally kicks off, which means the odds see plenty of movement from open to close.
Betting on the Super Bowl is an easy thing to mess up if you don’t know what you’re doing or understand the terminology. Should you take the three points and bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Will the Kansas City Chiefs win by more than three?
Can the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs straight up? What the heck is a total?
Sports betting may seem relatively easy. You may think you don’t need help. But do you want to put your money at risk over a procedural error or misunderstood terminology? Here’s a guide to help you understand betting before you place your wagers.
Sports Betting Terminology
The betting line tells bettors the odds for a game and will give three betting options— the point spread, the moneyline, and the total (over/under):
| BetRivers | Point Spread | Moneyline | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | -3 (-117) | -162 | O 56.5 (-112) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +3 (-105) | +143 | U 56.5 (-112) |
| FanDuel | Point Spread | Moneyline | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | -3 (-120) | -166 | O 56.5 (-110) |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +3 (-102) | +140 | U 56.5 (-110) |
As you can see, the odds are similar between the two sportsbooks, but they have some differences. That is why you should always ‘shop around’ for the best odds before putting some money down. But to tell who has the best odds, you need to know what they are.
Moneyline
When you are betting the moneyline, you are picking one team to win the game. Rather than give or take points to level the playing field, sportsbooks increase the amount you can win if you bet on the underdog. Consequently, you will win less betting on the favorite.
How can you tell how much you will win?
That is what the moneyline is for. The three-digit number will be preceded by a (-) for the favorite and a (+) for the underdog. Bet the moneyline on the Buccaneers at BetRivers, a $100 bet wins $143. But if you were to take the moneyline on the Chiefs instead and they win, you’d have to risk $162 to win $100.
Point Spread
Sportsbooks know all teams are not created equal. To give each team an equal chance of winning, they give or take points to even the playing field. Like with the moneyline, the favorite is preceded by a (-) and a (+) for the underdog.
For Super Bowl LV, the Chiefs are considered a three-point favorite (-3). That means the Buccaneers are three-point underdogs (+3). Bet the spread on Kansas City, and they will have to win by four or more points for you to win your bet.
As for Tampa Bay, if they do not lose by three or more points, you win the bet. If the final score was 26-24, Chiefs, and you bet the spread on the Buccaneers, you would still win.
Total (Over/Under)
The total, or over/under, refers to the total number of points scored by both teams in the game. Sportsbooks will list one number in the betting line (56.5 for Super Bowl LV). If you think both teams will combine for 57 points or more, take the over.
But if you believe they will combine for 56 or less, take the under.
How to Place a Bet
Now that you are familiar with the terminology, let’s talk about how to make a bet. The process may vary from one book to the next, but most will be like this:
- Register for an account and make your first deposit.
- Be sure to take advantage of any bonuses offered like the one FanDuel is running for first-time users. Make your first deposit and bet $5 on one team to win, and the odds for that team will get boosted to 55/1 (+5500).
- Decide how you want to bet and click on it.
- After your choice appears in your betting slip, decide how much you want to bet.
- Click ‘place bet’ to place your bet.
But How Should You Bet?
Novice bettors are like most bettors and tend to gravitate towards the great equalizer, the point spread.
A three-point spread is the most common one in the history of the NFL. Underdogs have won more than favorites over the years, but the breakdown is close to 50/50. However, when it comes to straight-up wins, the scale tips more towards the underdogs (almost 60/40).
This season, the Chiefs were only 7-9 against the spread while the Buccaneers were 9-7. So, from a historical perspective, it looks like taking the Buccaneers and the points could be a great bet– but it is far from a lock.
Not sure which bet to make? Try our free Super Bowl Squares game with your friends.
The Super Bowl brings in a lot of betting action across the globe. The Nevada Gaming Commission reports the total amount of wagers taken on the Super Bowl at the state’s sportsbooks each year. Here’s a hint, it’s nearly as much as the amount wagered for the entire NCAA tournament.
This is the most accurate way to track betting on the game and the starting point for any estimates about the total amount of gambling done worldwide.
2020 Was a Big Year for Sportsbooks
The latest reports out of Nevada show the second biggest year in the history of the Super Bowl in both the amount wagered on the game and the amount made collectively by Las Vegas sportsbooks.
This is a little surprising as the Chiefs appeared to be the public favorites. A big portion of the wagers were likely on props and parlays, which are big profit makers for books, plus the over was also a very popular public wager that fell short of the number.
Most betting during the season is done on the spread and total, but prop bets and exotic wagers get a lot more action during the Super Bowl.
How Much Las Vegas Sportsbooks Make on the Super Bowl Wagers
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $154,679,241 | $18,774,148 | 12.1% | Kansas City 31, San Francisco 20 |
| 2019 | $145,939,025 | $10,780,319 | 7.4% | New England 13, LA Rams 3 |
| 2018 | $158,586,934 | $1,170,432 | 0.7% | Philadelphia 41, New England 33 |
| 2017 | $138,480,136 | $10,937,826 | 7.90% | New England 34, Atlanta 28 |
| 2016 | $132,545,587 | $13,314,539 | 10.1% | Denver 24, Carolina 10 |
| 2015 | $115,986,086 | $3,261,066 | 2.8% | New England 28, Seattle 24 |
| 2014 | $119,400,000 | $19,700,000 | 16.50% | Seahawks 43, Broncos 8 |
| 2013 | $98,936,798 | $7,206,460 | 7.30% | Ravens 34, 49ers 31 |
| 2012 | $93,899,840 | $5,064,470 | 5.40% | Giants 21, Patriots 17 |
| 2011 | $87,491,098 | $724,176 | 0.83% | Green Bay 31, Pittsburgh 25 |
| 2010 | $82,726,367 | $6,857,101 | 8.29% | New Orleans 31, Indianapolis 17 |
| 2009 | $81,514,748 | $6,678,044 | 8.19% | Pittsburgh 27, Arizona 23 |
| 2008 | $92,055,833 | -$2,573,103 | -2.80% | N.Y. Giants 17, New England 14 |
| 2007 | $93,067,358 | $12,930,175 | 13.89% | Indianapolis 29, Chicago 17 |
| 2006 | $94,534,372 | $8,828,431 | 9.34% | Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10 |
| 2005 | $90,759,236 | $15,430,138 | 17.00% | New England 24, Philadelphia 21 |
| 2004 | $81,242,191 | $12,440,698 | 15.31% | New England 32, Carolina 29 |
| 2003 | $71,693,032 | $5,264,963 | 7.34% | Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21 |
| 2002 | $71,513,304 | $2,331,607 | 3.26% | New England 20, St. Louis 17 |
| 2001 | $67,661,425 | $11,002,636 | 16.26% | Baltimore 34, New York Giants 7 |
| 2000 | $71,046,751 | $4,237,978 | 5.97% | St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16 |
| 1999 | $75,986,520 | $2,906,601 | 3.83% | Denver 34, Atlanta 19 |
| 1998 | $77,253,246 | $472,033 | 0.61% | Denver 31, Green Bay 24 |
| 1997 | $70,853,211 | $2,265,701 | 3.20% | Green Bay 35, New England 21 |
| 1996 | $70,907,801 | $7,126,145 | 10.05% | Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17 |
| 1995 | $69,591,818 | -$396,674 | -0.57% | San Francisco 49, San Diego 26 |
| 1994 | $54,483,221 | $7,481,541 | 13.73% | Dallas 30, Buffalo 13 |
| 1993 | $56,811,405 | $7,174,869 | 12.63% | Dallas 52, Buffalo 17 |
| 1992 | $50,334,277 | $301,280 | 0.60% | Washington 37, Buffalo 24 |
| 1991 | $40,080,409 | $3,512,241 | 8.76% | New York Giants 20, Buffalo 19 |
| SEGMENT | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Year Averages | $90,335,376 | $6,840,195 | 7.57% |
| Average Last 5 Years | $146,046,185 | $10,995,453 | 7.53% |
How Much is Bet by State (Legally)
As more and more states start to legalize sports betting, we have access to data on how much action they taking in on the big game. Below are the reported numbers by each state on the Super Bowl.
New Jersey
The biggest handle outside of the desert comes in the Garden State. New Jersey’s handle on the big game was just shy of $55 million.
Considering their handle was up nearly 55% from 2019, it might not be long before they are up there with Nevada.
While New Jersey has to be excited about their growth, they did take a big hit. It was reported that New Jersey lost just under $4.3 million on the big game.
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $54,288,277 | -$4,280,000 | -7.8% |
Pennsylvania
The Keystone State had plenty of action on the Super Bowl with just over $30 million wagered. Unfortunately for them they too suffered a loss, losing $3.3 million.
Those in Pennsylvania took full of advantage of technology with 78.3% of the action taking place online.
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $30,693,942 | -$3,334,787 | -10.9% |
Rhode Island
There was $1 million dollars less bet on the Super Bowl in Rhode Island this year compared to last. In 2019 they reported $6.5 million bet with this year coming in at $5.5 million.
The decline certainly had a lot to do with the Patriots not being involved. The good news is that they were one of the few books outside of Nevada to show a profit.
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $5,500,000 | $805,000 | 1.5% |
New Hampshire
We were able to find that roughly $2.31 million was put down on the Super Bowl in New Hampshire.
Considering the mobile DraftKings Sportsbook didn’t launch until December of 2019, we should expect a lot more money coming in in 2021.
As of right now we were not able to find if the books made or lost money on the big game.
Delaware
Only $2.1 million was wagered in Delaware, largely due to the fact that they don’t offer mobile sports betting.
They reported losing right around $230K, for a -11.0% return.
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $2,100,000 | -229,000 | -11.0% |
Mississippi
The Magnolia State saw a decent uptick in money bet on the Super Bowl. It was reported that $6.7 million was bet in 2020, up from $4.7 last year.
Mississippi has not made their profit/loss available for the public at this time.
Oregon
Out of all the states, Oregon had the lowest total of money bet at $2 million, but lucky for them they were able to show a slim profit of $150K.
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $2,000,000 | $150,000 | 0.8% |
West Virginia
West Virginia had several books open right in time for the Super Bowl and the state was able to generate a handle of almost $4 million.
We don’t know if they won or loss money, but that’s a nice showing given players didn’t have a ton of time to get an account set up.
Iowa
Iowa had a nice turnout on the Super Bowl with $6.5 million being wagered, but that’s about the only positive for the Iowa Gaming Association.
Given that Iowa shares a border with the home state of the Chiefs, they had a ton of action on Kansas City.
We don’t the exact numbers, but rumors are that Iowa took a big loss with the Chiefs victory.
| YEAR | AMT WAGERED | BOOK W/L | RETURN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $6,500,000 |
Many More Millions Gambled On the Super Bowl Illegally
So those numbers are just in Las Vegas. Numbers vary widely on the reports of legal, Las Vegas betting and illegal betting but most estimates think Nevada only pulls in 2.5% of the total action! So if this is correct then you can assume there is about 40x as much bet on the Super Bowl as what the numbers state above!
That is a lot of wagers that are being placed through bookies and online sports books.
If you aren’t in Vegas or another state where betting is legal but want to get action in on the big game, then I recommend you take a look at our 5Dimes review and our Bovada Sportsbook review as these are two of our favorites.
Total Bet On Super Bowl
And if you want a better chance of winning see if any of our experts have a free pick on the game.
Super Bowl Total Points
How Much is Bet on the Coin Toss?
Total Amount Bet On Super Bowl Won
Sportsbooks don’t released official numbers on specific props, so it’s really impossible to know exactly how much is bet on the coin flip or how many people bet it. It’s safe to assume it’s one of the more popular prop bets because it’s novel, cheaply priced, is decided quickly, and is virtually a 50/50 proportion.