Super Bowl prop betting increasing in popularity

LAS VEGAS — Jay Kornegay was behind the counter in 2004 when someone approached with $5,000 to bet on the Super Bowl but had no idea how to decide.

The man, not a regular sports bettor, thought for a few moments and decided to put it all on the Carolina Panthers to score exactly 29 points at 30-1 odds.

Kornegay couldn’t believe it, but took the man’s money — and later returned it plus the winnings. The bet cashed when the Panthers scored that amount in a three-point loss to the New England Patriots.

The Super Bowl draws a larger portion of casual bettors than other American sporting events, and the numerous proposition options each year underscore how the game’s mass appeal goes well beyond professional gamblers and hardcore fans.

“We’re certainly going to write a lot more tickets on the propositions than the game,” said Kornegay, vice president of race and sports operations at Westgate Las Vegas. “They’ve become so popular.”

This year’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles is Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the first time the championship will be played inside a venue with a sportsbook.

Next year’s Super Bowl will be in Las Vegas, the nation’s sports betting capital.

Sportsbooks have taken advantage of the increasing popularity of prop bets, which could range from whether there will be a safety to whether the Chiefs or Eagles will score more points than LeBron James or Steph Curry when their teams meet the day before the big game.

Most props will be made available next week, but Caesars Sportsbook already has its 2,000-option menu available. Among the choices is whether the first turnover will be an interception or fumble. The interception is minus-170, meaning someone would need to bet $170 to win $100. The fumble is listed at plus-140, which means a $100 bet would pay $140.

Jason Scott, BetMGM vice president of trading, said he expects to put out 700 or 800 such bets by next week for its properties in 20 states plus Washington, D.C. Kornegay said Westgate will have about 500 bets with roughly 1,000 options. Jeff Benson, Circa Sports operations manager, said his casino’s booklet will be 12 or 13 pages front and back.

“I think you have a ton of people that want just to bet the props,” Benson said. “They don’t really care who wins. That’s really a way for them to enjoy the game.”

The number of bets on props is considerably higher than traditional wagers such as which team will cover the point spread and whether the total number of points with be higher or lower than the posted figure. The Eagles are 1 1/2-point favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook, and the total is 50 1/2 points.

Kornegay estimated that for every traditional Super Bowl bet, there are six or seven prop wagers.