​Propping Up Super Bowl 50: The VICE Sports Guide To Super Bowl Prop Bets

The weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl should be the eye of the storm for Las Vegas sports books—a much-needed lull after the steady battering of the NFL season and before the coming Super Bowl tsunami. And they mostly are, except for the Thursday ten days before the big game.

On that day, as day turns to night, the sportsbook at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino begins to fill. Like expectant fathers in the maternity ward, the visitors chat amicably in groups and pace nervously, constantly keeping an eye on the darkened boards that line the walls high above the betting windows. After the clock strikes seven, the boards begin to fill with a riddle of green, glowing numbers and words that are only legible to the truly degenerate. Instantly, lines begin to form at the betting windows. In that moment, this year's batch of Super Bowl prop bets are born and gamblers hustle to get the first money down on the bets they like before prices start moving against them.

Prop bets, or proposition bets, are nothing new and certainly are not unique to the Super Bowl. But with the breadth of options now offered each year across Nevada and cyberspace, the two have become synonymous. Prop bets, by definition, are bets laid on actions not directly tied to a game's outcome. But even that broad statement doesn't quite do justice to the Super Bowl's prop betting menu.

With the growth of offshore sportsbooks, operating in extralegal locations with few limitations on what bets can be offered, traditional prop bets like "how many yards will Cam Newton throw for" are now just the tip of the iceberg. From the Star Spangled Banner to the halftime show to totally unrelated events that happen to occur around the Super Bowl, nothing is off-limits.

Well, nothing except making the bets themselves. Gambling online is still illegal for US residents, but that doesn't stop offshore sports books from using prop bets to grab some publicity around the most gambling-friendly media story of the year. Nevada casinos falling under the much stricter Nevada Gaming Control Board guidelines (which prohibit non-game related action without prior special approval) don't have quite that much latitude, but the Westgate's offering packet this year still stretched to 375 bets and William Hill's topped 800.

We waded through these bets and found our favorites—both for gambling on and laughing at. Each bet below notes the odds assumed and the source sportsbook; we have included some offshore sportsbook bets below but, as they say, "strictly for entertainment purposes only."

First score of the Super Bowl 50 will be: (Westgate)
Touchdown (-150)
Any Other Score (+130)

The two Super Bowl teams each ranked in the top six in scoring defense this year, so it is easy to imagine one of the defenses bending but not breaking to start the game. 'Any Other Score' wins on a field goal or a safety (which Bronco fans are all too familiar with). Plus at these odds, you win $130 for every $100 bet.

Pick: Any Other Score

Solo or Assisted Tackled by Von Miller: (Westgate)
Over 2.5 (-110)
Under 2.5 (-110)

If the Broncos have any chance of hanging with the Panthers they are going to need a big game from the player that dominated the Patriots in the AFC title game. Whether it is a sack or stuffing a run play or dropping into pass coverage, the Broncos desperately need Miller to dominate the Panthers offense to have a chance of winning.

Pick: Over 2.5 tackles by Miller

Total Rushing Attempts by Ronnie Hillman: (Westgate)
Over 11.5 (-110)
Under 11.5 (-110)

Hillman is one of the two running backs that takes the majority of carries for the Broncos. He's the nominal starter, but he is smaller than his colleague C.J. Anderson and has been best utilized as a 'change of pace' back. If the Broncos trail at all—and they are 5.5 point underdogs, for whatever that's worth—then it is hard to see Hillman getting a lot of carries. If the Broncos lead it is hard to see Hillman, with his slight stature, being the workhorse they rely on to run out the clock. Either way, the Under would pay.

Pick: Under 11.5 rushing attempts.

Who will have more: Neymar (Barcelona) goals or Cam Newton Touchdowns: (Westgate)
Neymar (-150)
Newton (+130)

Neymar is one of a trio of the best offensive players in the world for Barcelona. But he is one of a trio. Playing alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, it seems very possible that Neymar will be shut out of scoring during Sunday morning's game against Levante. Newton, on the flipside, is the core of the Panthers. With a payout that assumes only a 43% chance of Cam scoring more than Neymar, I will take those odds. This particular bet may be risk-free by kickoff if Neymar fails to score in Barcelona's game earlier that morning, and at worst the bet pushes and you get your money back. This may just be me, but I like risk-free bets.

Pick: Newton (+130)

Will either back-up quarterback take a snap (Bovada)
Yes: +200
No-300

Cam Newton may seem indestructible, but given how much he has the ball and facing a defense that hit Tom Brady over 20 times last week, one awkward hit could send Cam to the sidelines, at least temporarily. On the other side of the ball, it wouldn't be much of a shocker to see Brock Osweiler take a snap if Peyton Manning plays like he did in his last Super Bowl or earlier this season against the Chiefs.

Pick: Yes (+200)

How many times will the Golden Gate Bridge be shown during the Broadcast? (Bovada)
Over .5: -500
Under .5: +300

Has any sporting event from the bay area ever been televised without a commercial bumper featuring the Golden Gate Bridge? This bet opened at -300 for Over .5 meaning that betting $300 wins $100. While that seems steep, it equates to a 75 percent probability the Golden Gate is shown. I say that the real probability is much closer to 100 percent, given that sunset is happening sometime in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the betting public agrees and it has moved all the way up to -500 (laying $500 on Over, wins you $100). That is a bridge too far (pun intended) for me to bet.

Pick: Stay away (Should have bet Over at -300)

How many times will "dab" or "dabbing" be said by the announcers during the Broadcast? (Bovada)
Over 2: Even
Under 2: -140

With Phil Simms and Jim Nantz on the call, I desperately want the Under to hit because I can imagine little that is more awkward than one of them explaining dabbing to a national television audience. But if Carolina wins, Nantz will find some pun including Dab to say at the final whistle and Simms will most likely pick some cringe-inducing moment to say it mid-game. Add in a report by Tracy Wolfson describing how 'dabbing' has brought the community of Charlotte together and the Over looks like a winner

PICK: Over (Even)

Which region has will have a higher Nielsen Rating? (Bovada)
Denver: -140
Charlotte: Even

Full disclosure: I have spent most of my life in Denver, including the last 12 years. While some may say this makes me a homer, I think it gives me an edge. Denver lives and breathes the Broncos 365 days per year. This is never more true than during the playoffs, when blue and orange is ubiquitous – from the flight boards and train at the airport to every building downtown. Charlotte has always struck me as more of a college basketball town, and the Panthers have only called it home for 20 years. Factor in Charlotte's identity as a destination for transplants from across the south and mid-Atlantic, who bring their own allegiances with them, and I'd say Charlotte's only chance to win this bet is a blow-out by the Panthers so large that Denver collectively turns away in disgust.

Pick: Denver (-140)

What color will Beyonce's footwear be when she comes on stage for the Halftime show? (Bovada)
Black: +150
Gold/Brown: +250
White: +275
Silver/Grey: +475
Any Other Color: +700

In 2013, when Beyonce headlined the Super Bowl halftime show a wager was offered on whether she would show cleavage during her first song. This year, we get to bet on her shoe color which, if nothing else, results in significantly less enjoyable 'research' on Google Images. That search however, shows a clear preference for black with an occasional white or silver thrown in.

The x-factor, however, is the fact that this is Super Bowl 50. The NFL has gone overboard this year trumpeting the Super Bowl's Golden anniversary, including painting the 50-yard line of every game this season gold. If Roger Goodell retains even an ounce of power after a couple tumultuous years, he will exercise it over the Super Bowl halftime act's wardrobe choices.

Pick: Gold/Brown (+250)

Opening Coin Toss will be: (William Hill)
Heads: -105
Tails: -105

No. Don't. Just don't.

Look at this bet one way: you are paying the sportsbook for the right to win even money on a bet that is basically the dictionary definition of 50/50 odds. Do you want to pay for that right?

Look at this bet another way: the standard vig—'vigorish,' the sportsbook's cut for allowing you the privilege of laying a wager—is -110; for every $110 bet, you win $100. The Vig on this is reduced to -105 because the casinos recognize how bad a deal this bet is. This bet makes the casinos feel bad taking your money. It's that bad.

Pick: Seriously, don't.