How to bet on the Super Bowl 2023: The spread, totals and money line

Belfast Telegraph

02 February 2023

How to bet on the Super Bowl 2023: The spread, totals and money line

The biggest night of the American football calendar is nearly upon us and we have all the information you need for betting on Kansas City Chiefs against Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

Super Bowl betting is big business, with an estimated $7.61bn (about £6.19bn) wagered on the climax to the NFL season in the United States last year alone.

In the UK, the growing popularity of the NFL shows no signs of abating with a record four million people tuning into the coverage of last year’s Super Bowl and a million people watching the regular season week in, week out.

However, when it comes to Super Bowl betting, the American football markets can be a little confusing as the terminology used is unfamiliar to the majority of British bettors.

We have created a guide to the most popular betting markets to provide you with all the information you will need when betting on Super Bowl LVII.

How to bet on the point spread

The most popular Super Bowl betting market is the point spread. The spread works similarly to a handicap bet, which is often found in football in the UK. The difference is that the points handicap the bookies give can be backed at the same odds.

Taking this year’s Super Bowl point spread as an example, the Philadelphia Eagles are viewed as the favourites, so they will start the game with a minus 1.5-point handicap with bet365.

Both teams can be backed at 10/11 to win – with the handicap applied. So if you believe the Eagles will win by more than 1.5 points you will bet on them, and if you think the Chiefs will win, or lose by less than 1.5 points, you would choose them. When a team wins, a point spread bet is often called ‘covering the spread’.

Want to bet on Super Bowl LVII? Earn up to £50 in bet credits when you sign up with bet365.

Already used the bet365 bonus code? Check out all the latest bookmaker offers and the best betting sites.

How to bet on total points

A bet on the total points, or totals market, is similar to a point-spread wager, with bettors betting on whether the total points in the game will be over or under a total devised by the bookmakers.

This time you are betting on the total number of points scored in the Super Bowl by both teams combined, and whether it will be over or under the mark set by the bookmaker.

This year, the over/under line when it comes to the total number of points has been set at 50.5 by bet365. So, if you think the game in Glendale, Arizona, is going to be a high-scoring affair, then you would take the 10/11 on offer on there being over 50.5 points.

Likewise, if you believe defences will be on top and we will have a repeat of 2019’s 13-3 win for New England Patriots over the LA Rams, you would take the 10/11 on under 50.5 points.

It doesn’t matter who wins the game, so long as a certain number of points are scored or not scored. For example, if you expect it to be a repeat of when these teams met in October 2021 with the Chiefs to win 42-30 and you and you have bet on over 50.5 points, you win.

How to bet on the money line

The money line is the market that is the easiest to understand for UK bettors as it is a straight bet on who will win the Super Bowl.

It does not matter how many points that team scores or whether the game goes to overtime, you will win if the team you backed are the ones collecting the Vince Lombardi trophy come the end.

As the point spread has already shown, Philadelphia Eagles are narrow favourites at 4/5 on the bet365 money line, while Kansas City Chiefs are available at 21/20.

The Super Bowl is always one of the highlights of the global sporting calendar and with the Chiefs and Eagles evenly matched by the bookies, this promises to be one of the most memorable in recent years.