About 110 million people watched one of the most bizarre, lopsided Super Bowl games in recent memory Sunday, making it the most-watched television program in U.S. history. Topping the number of disappointed viewers (excluding Seahawks fans) was the whopping amount bet on the game — a record $117.4 million, $20 million more than last year’s wagers.
If the disappointing commercials didn’t make the Super Bowl almost unbearable, the money lost by a majority of bettors could’ve made this quite possibly the worst day of the year for some; but not for all.
According to ESPN, Nevada sports books grossed $19.4 million, a record for the Super Bowl, and ransacked bettors on the underdog Seahawks to win the game. The amount of points scored (47 to 50 points was the approximate range of most bookies) and several prop bets, which prove to be whimsical wagers, were two of the most profitable areas for sports books.
If you took part in the latter, bets ranged from the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach (there was two showers, one orange and the other yellow), type of hat worn by Bruno Mars at halftime (his curly black locks went untouched by any headgear), and who the MVP would thank first in his speech (references include God, his family, and friends; winner Malcolm Smith did not refer to any of the above).
If I had to watch it over, I would have bet my college savings on how often the cameras focused on Eli Manning, brother of the Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, to make my Super Bowl experience slightly more enjoyable.
However, betting lines for next year’s Super Bowl have already been released, so I’ve taken the initiative to make a list of prop bets:
- 45-1 odds a former Bobcat will be on the roster of either team.
- 75-1 odds the Super Bowl Committee will choose someone from the 12Fest lineup to perform at halftime.
- 90-1 odds Mio will replace Gatorade as the official beverage of the Super Bowl players.
- 150-1 odds Floyd Mayweather will bet on himself to win the Super Bowl.
- 60-2 odds that kale will blitz celery as the favored vegetable to accompany wings.
These predictions might not pan out to be realistic wagers, but hopefully they prove to provide more enjoyment than this year’s Super Bowl.
ch115710@ohiou.edu
@ColinHanner
