The market for Super Bowl LVI is alive and well. As bettors await more exotic props to fully populate the market, there has already been significant action on the side and total, causing slight fluctuation with the numbers.
“This game is the most bet on event of the year and everything is under a microscope,” said BetMGM Trader Darren Darby.
Earlier this week in my opening lines column, I detailed how the public prefers betting the Super Bowl favorite against the spread and underdog on the money line. That blueprint has forced oddsmakers to bake in a Bengals tax for those betting on Burrow to pull off another upset.
“I would be lying if I said we weren’t trailing the market slightly knowing that the Burrow popularity is affecting the bets on Cincinnati, especially on the money line,” said WynnBet Senior Trader Motoi Pearson.
At FanDuel, the Bengals money line is also a very popular pick — receiving 66% of the handle and 78% of the bets. BetMGM is seeing similar splits, with more than 60% of the handle and 70% of the bets on Cincinnati to win outright.
Despite that one-way action, the Rams ML price has stayed relatively stable all week while hovering around -200. At the time of publication, Wynn and DraftKings are offering a slight discount on the Rams at -195. The spread is also holding firm between Rams -4 and -4.5 after opening at -3.5.
Barring a key player unexpectedly missing the game due to injury or Covid-19, oddsmakers don’t expect the spread to climb any higher than 5.5 regardless of how much handle comes in on the favorite.
BetMGM is reporting some slight reverse line movement on the total, which dropped from 49.5 to 48.5 despite more than 60% of the handle coming in on the over. Other sportsbooks have seen a similar move down as the consensus total market-wide is stable at 48.5.
Be sure to check back next week as I reveal my best bets and props for Super Bowl LVI.
Pickswise is the home of NFL Picks. Check out our latest playoff picks and round-by-round analysis as well as our free Super Bowl predictions.
