Close to $5 billion is expected to be gambled on Super Bowl LI in the United States alone, and countless bets have already been placed days before kickoff. It appears that, much like the experts, the public is siding with the New England Patriots over the Atlanta Falcons in a high-scoring game.
New England is a three-point favorite, and 62 percent of the betting line handle (money wagered) at Bovada.lv is on the Patriots. That leaves 38 percent of the money on the Falcons, who are looking to win their first Super Bowl title.
Atlanta is in the midst of one of their best seasons in franchise history. They enter Super Bowl LI on a six-game winning streak, led by the likely MVP winner in Matt Ryan. The quarterback has engineered one of the highest-scoring offenses in NFL history, and the Falcons cruised by the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers in their two playoff games.
That, however, hasn’t been enough to convince most gamblers that the Falcons will upset the best quarterback and best head coach in NFL history. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have won four rings since 2002, and the Patriots have won 16 of their 18 games this season. New England hasn’t lost since Nov. 13 when they were stopped by the Seahawks on the one-yard line in the game’s final seconds, failing to score a touchdown that would’ve forced overtime.
NFL fans also seem to think a lot of points will be scored Sunday. The total of 59 is the highest in Super Bowl history, and 60 percent of the money wagered is on the over. Forty percent of the handle is on the under, predicting the final score between New England and Atlanta to fall short of 59 combined points.
The betting line between the Patriots and Falcons is the most popular bet, but there is plenty of money being gambled on aspects of the game that have little, if anything, to do with the final score. Prop bets are always big in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, and a few stand out as the most popular heading into Sunday’s contest.
Super Bowl MVP odds are always popular, and this year is no different. Brady is the favorite to win the award, and he’s getting more public support than any other player. Matt Ryan isn’t far behind him, but there is a significant drop to Julio Jones, who is the third most popular bet.
With so much money being bet on the Patriots and the over, it isn’t surprising that the gambling public is overwhelmingly predicting Brady to put up big numbers, according to individual player prop bets. Mohamed Sanu’s total receiving yards is also one of the most popular props a few days before Super Bowl LI.
The coin toss and length of the national anthem usually command plenty of wagers. This year, a bet involving President Donald Trump is also receiving considerable action.
Bettors line up to place wagers after more than 400 proposition bets for Super Bowl LI were posted at the Race & Sports SuperBook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on Jan. 26, 2017 in Las Vegas. Photo: Getty Images
Here’s a look at the most popular Super Bowl 2017 bets as of Thursday morning, via Bovada.lv:
Spread
Patriots -3 62 percent of the handle
Falcons +3 38 percent of the handle
Total
Over 59 60 percent of the handle
Under 59 40 percent of the handle
Super Bowl 51 – Odds to Win MVP
Tom Brady 27 percent of the handle
Matt Ryan 20 percent of the handle
Julio Jones 8 percent of the handle
LeGarrette Blount 5 percent of the handle
Devonta Freeman 5 percent of the handle
*All other players have 2 percent or less of the handle
Tom Brady Passing Yards
Over 315.5 85 percent of the handle
Under 315.5 15 percent of the handle
Tom Brady Rushing Yards
Over 2.5 87 percent of the handle
Under 2.5 13 percent of the handle
Mohamed Sanu Total Receiving Yards
Over 45.5 90 percent of the handle
Under 45.5 10 percent of the handle
Longest TD scored
Over 50.5 yards 45 percent of the handle
Under 50.5 yards 55 percent of the handle
Coin Toss
Heads 52 percent of the handle
Tails 48 percent of the handle
Length of the National Anthem
Over 2 minutes 9 seconds 45 percent of the handle
Under 2 minutes 9 seconds 55 percent of the handle
How many times will “Trump” be said on TV during the broadcast?
Over 1.5 30 percent of the handle
Under 1.5 70 percent of the handle
How many times will “Gronk or Gronkowski” be said during the broadcast?
Over 3 55 percent of the handle
Under 3 45 percent of the handle
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