It’s no question that Super Bowl Sunday remains the most popular sports betting event of the year.
It’s so popular in fact, that Maryland officials wanted to launch sports betting right before the NFL Playoffs and especially Super Bowl LVIII.
Their reasoning was pretty obvious: Super Bowl odds and lines are the most popular items to bet on. And the Super Bowl is the biggest sports event of the year.
With sports betting finally underway in Maryland, you should soon see Super Bowl Sunday becoming Maryland’s biggest betting event.
Rise of sports betting in US
Up until three years ago, sports bettors could place a sports wager pretty much only in Las Vegas. That was because of a 1992 federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), that prohibited states from authorizing sports betting.
But in May 2018, a US Supreme Court ruling struck down that federal law. And since then, sports wagering has made its way to numerous jurisdictions across the country. Maryland, for example, became the 11th US state to launch this year.
Maryland officially launched retail sports betting earlier this month. At the time, MGM National Harbor, Live! Casino & Hotel and Horseshoe Casino Baltimore all began accepting wagers within a two-day period, Dec. 9-10.
Since the Supreme Court ruling, more than 30 US states have already legalized sports betting.
This means that in some form or fashion, sports bettors can place their wagers at a casino or right from the comfort of their mobile device. Marylanders are currently limited to in-person wagering. However, full statewide mobile betting isn’t expected until the second half of 2022. With the convenience of online wagering, events such as the Super Bowl will become even more popular with bettors.
NFL and Super Bowl Sunday vs. other pro sports
According to Gallup, football and the NFL remain US sports fans’ favorite sport to watch. In fact, it’s three times as popular as the second-place option, baseball/MLB. And it’s been that way for nearly four decades.
It’s also important to note that the Super Bowl generates more wagers than any other single-sporting event. So, the NFL has the most popular season-long betting options – plus the top single event of the year with the Super Bowl.
The American Gaming Association recently published a report that shows that Super Bowl LV back in February was the most bet-on event of all-time. The AGA reported that more than 23 million Americans expected to bet a collective $4.3 billion on last year’s Super Bowl. It contributed to a 63% increase in online sportsbook wagering in the US.
The NFL is also a very popular sport for Marylanders.
The two-time Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens are always a team that Marylanders look forward to watching. With 21 playoff appearances under their belt, the Ravens are now preparing for No. 22 this season.
Now, the same success hasn’t necessarily found the nearby Washington Football Team. But like in Maryland, DC sports fans are also gridiron diehards who will tune into Super Bowl Sunday, no matter which teams are playing.
Super Bowl Sunday betting options
Whether you plan to place a wager on the moneyline, total or various prop bets for “the Big Game,” the Super Bowl offers way more than your traditional bet types.
Prop betting, specifically, has become very popular with the more recent during the Super Bowls. Instead of relating to the outcome of the full game, prop bets focus on specific team, player and game milestones.
For example, if the Ravens make the Super Bowl, you could wager on Lamar Jackson’s total number of passing yards or even the color of Gatorade that’ll wash over John Harbaugh‘s post-game celebration.
This is another reason why sports bettors love to place wagers during the NFL’s championship game. There are just so, so many options.
Baltimore Ravens latest Super Bowl odds
As we get closer to Super Bowl LVI, the Baltimore Ravens are still a Top 10 contender to win the Super Bowl. That’s been the case for most of the season, where they opened at +1400.
Heading into NFL Week 16, FanDuel Online Sportsbook has the Ravens are now +3200 to win on Super Bowl Sunday. The means that they have an implied 3.03% chance to win the big one.
Despite those odds, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is pretty optimistic about the Ravens.
With the state’s debut wager, Hogan placed an NFL futures bet on the Washington Football Team to face the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl LVI.
The governor put together a $50 parlay that the two teams would each win its respective conference:
- Washington Football Team to win the NFC: +5000
- Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC: +700
If somehow these two teams do face each other in the Super Bowl, Gov. Hogan looks to score a payoff of more than $20,000.
