Bettors are choosing sides on the coin toss and taking a chance on Todd Gurley.
Super Bowl 53 will feature more betting than any other single event this year, and a big portion of that comes from prop bets. A prop bet provides an opportunity to bet on different specific outcomes in the Super Bowl. These can range from who will win MVP to the length of the national anthem to who will score the first touchdown to whether or not there will be a safety in the game.
William Hill provides numerous prop bets at their sportsbooks around the country, and they track the most popular of the prop bets. Here are the ten most popular prop bets by number of wagers made.
- Will there be a successful two-point conversion? YES
- Result of opening coin toss will be: HEADS
- More points will be scored in: SECOND HALF + OT
- Will Rob Gronkowski score a touchdown? YES
- Result of opening coin toss will be: TAILS
- Will there be a safety in game? YES
- Player to score first touchdown: Todd Gurley
- To Win Super Bowl 53 MVP: Todd Gurley
- First score of the game will be: Field goal/Safety
- Player to score first touchdown: Sony Michel
The coin toss is one of the easiest prop bets to make, so it is no surprise that both results are in the top ten. It is a 50/50 proposition, so it really does not require much in the way of research. People will consider the recent results, but much like betting on black or red in roulette, each coin toss is its own individual event, so there is no such thing as either side “being due.” If you want to bet on the coin toss, you can quite literally flip a coin to figure out your option.
The two Todd Gurley bets are fascinating because of how this game is being wagered. A sizable majority of wagering has been on the Patriots throughout the past week and a half. Gurley did not get much work in the NFC Championship Game, so people might think he is ready to bounce back and be the difference in this game.
It is also worth noting that Aaron Donald ranked 20th in tickets bet for MVP, and Jared Goff ranked 17th for money bet. No Patriots showed up in the top 20. This does not mean people don’t think the Patriots will win, but it is a notable disparity in light of how heavily people are betting the Patriots. The MVP bet offers bigger returns than a moneyline or point spread bet if you hit the Rams. As for why Tom Brady is not showing up in the most popular prop bets? He opened as the favorite at -120, with Jared Goff the closest to him at 7/2. There’s little value in betting on Brady.