The 2015 Super Bowl is one of the biggest betting events of the year, and those looking to make a wager online will have plenty of outlets to do so — and even more things to bet on.
This year, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks present one of the closest matchups in recent memory. Though the 2015 Super Bowl line started with the Seahawks as two-point favorites, the line has now come down with the Patriots listed as one-point favorites. As a result, close to 70 percent of the money has come in for the Patriots, the Bovada sportsbook manager told the SB Nation blog Pats Pulpit.
For those who may not have the most experience gambling, here is a handy guide to betting on the 2015 Super Bowl.
The most common Super Bowl bet is against the spread, which means the Patriots must win by one point in order to collect. With a line that low it makes it a bit easier — if you think Tom Brady and the Patriots can overcome the tough Seattle secondary and come away with their fourth title, then bet the Patriots. If you think Marshawn Lynch will be too much for the Patriots to handle, take Seattle and the points.
Fans can also make a money line bet, which is picking one team to win. Because the line is so close, neither team is a big favorite. The Las Vegas consensus appears to be that it will take a $115 bet to win $100 for the Patriots and a $105 bet to win $100 on the Seahawks.
Another common bet is the over/under, or the total points scored in the game. After opening at 48.5, it moved down to 47.5.
Need some help? You can find a cheat sheet over at NFLPickWatch , which compiles expert picks against the spread and lists them in a handy database. The early action seems to heavily favor the Patriots, but the picks are still rolling in as the week goes on.
Now that you’ve covered all the main ways to bet on the Super Bowl, it’s time for the fun part — prop bets. These propositional bets cover just about everything that happens from the start of the game to the finish. You can bet on who will win the coin toss, how long the National Anthem will run, and even which song Katy Perry will sing first during the halftime show.
SBNation has a full list of 2015 Super Bowl prop bets. There are some very interesting ones, and some big chances to earn money. If you think Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka will win MVP, you’re looking at 100-1 odds. You can also bet on the first type of score in the game, and if you’re brave enough to think either team will put the first points on the board with a safety, you’ll get 33-1 odds.
Sound like a crazy bet? Consider this — in the last five years, there were two Super Bowls that had a safety as the first score of the game. It happened against the Patriots in 2011 when Tom Brady was called for intentional grounding in the endzone, and again last year when an errant snap got over the head of Peyton Manning against the Seahawks. Fans who want to bet online on the 2015 Super Bowl will have plenty of outlets. There are countless online betting sites to wade through, but luckily OddsShark has compiled all of the most trustworthy ones into one place.