Super Bowl prop bets let non-football fans get in on the action

If you don’t know the first thing about football but still want to bet on the 2024 Super Bowl, there are some so-called proposition bets that require zero understanding of the game, let alone insights into who the best players are or which team might win. 

Non-football fans who want in on the action can place wagers on everything from which team will win the coin toss to what number jersey the game’s first touchdown scorer will be wearing. 

Prop bets go way back, but they first made a splash at the Super Bowl in 1985, according to Sports Illustrated. Some bets require football knowledge as they relate to the action on the field, such as how many yards a player will pass or receive, or what the final game score will be.

Other, quirkier prop bets are only tangentially related to the big game, like the color of Gatorade that will be poured over the winning team’s coach.

“Novelty props that have nothing to do with game itself are incredibly popular,” BetMGM spokesperson John Ewing told CBS MoneyWatch. 

“Traditionally at the end of the game, the winning team’s players dump Gatorade on top of the coach,” Ewing added.

Purple is currently favored, according to BetMGM.

Online betting is regulated at the state level, according to the American Gaming Association (AGA). Typically, bets that aren’t related to the onfield action and that could conceivably be influenced by an outside party, are illegal.

“The general rule of thumb is the further off the field it is, and the less a part of the game it is, the more likely it’s not going to be offered by a legal sportsbook,” AGA spokesperson Cait DeBaun told CBS MoneyWatch.

Illegal options would include prop bets concerning the length of the national anthem performance or around the likelihood of Taylor Swift attending the game, for example. 

Still, sports betting sites are finding ways to bring the pop star’s fans in on the betting action. For example, DraftKings is naming football-related prop bets after songs of hers. The “Today Was a Fairytale” bet lets fans bet on whether Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, will score a game-winning touchdown for his team. 

Editor’s note: This report has been edited to remove references to, and information obtained from, a sportsbook that is not legally accessible in the U.S.

Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.