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A photo collage of Usher, Taylor Swift, and former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll getting doused in Gatorade.
Getty Images/Kristy Sparow/Rob Carr/David Eulitt

At least 38 states have legalized some form of sports betting, and you better believe that people will be betting heavily on the biggest sporting event of the year. While you probably expect that people will wager on the outcome of the Super Bowl on February 11th, tons of esoteric and downright weird prop bets are also available for betting.

Prop bets are only tangentially related to the big game, and you don’t have to know anything about sports to get in on the action. We combed through online sports books to find the funniest, most bizarre things you can bet on in this year’s Super Bowl, from Gatorade colors to commercials — and yes, Taylor Swift, too.

Related: The Greatest Super Bowl Games of All Time, Ranked

1. Coin Toss

Hand ready to flip coin. Blue background.
slobo/istockphoto

Placing a wager on the coin toss is, well — a coin toss. There’s no skill involved, but you know you have a 50% chance of winning. That doesn’t stop people from choosing heads or tails.

Related: The Greatest Football Movies of All Time, According to Critics

2. Length of the National Anthem

Reba McEntire
DepositPhotos

Reba McEntire is singing this year’s National Anthem, and you better believe sports gamblers are going to wager on whether her rendition takes over or under 1 minute and 28 seconds. This one’s less of a guess than you might think, though. Serious bettors study YouTube clips of her singing the anthem at other events to gauge her average time.

3. Color of Reba McEntire’s Hat

Array of cowboy hats sold at store Tennessee
Paulbr/istockphoto

Oddsmakers have decided that Reba wears enough hats that she’ll probably be sporting one, and you can bet on what color it’ll be. There’s 9 colors to pick from, and red is the favorite, followed by brown and black. 

4. National Anthem Screw Up

Sheet music for the Star-Spangled Banner in an antique hymnal. The printing is copyrighted 1890 and is in the public domain.
TokenPhoto/istockphoto

Singing in front of over 100 million viewers is nerve wracking, even for seasoned performers like Reba. Will that cause her to flub the words to the National Anthem? If you bet yes, and she omits a word or gets the words wrong, you win.

Related: Old Glory: The American Flag’s Most Iconic Moments

5. Taylor Swift Anthem Sighting

5. Taylor Swift Anthem Sighting
DepositPhotos

Taylor Swift fever has infected everyone, including gamblers. There’s all kinds of wagers you can make related to Swift, the megastar pop singer who’s dating Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce. Will she be shown on camera during the National Anthem? Considering how many Swifties will be watching the game, all signs — and the favored bet — point to yes.

You can also wager on how many times she’ll appear on camera during the game. If you think over 5.5 times, you’re in the majority.

Related: 7 Signs That Woman Ruled the World in 2023

6. First Word in Usher’s Half Time Show

Usher concert
DepositPhotos

Usher is performing this year’s halftime show, and you better believe you can bet on lots of weird stuff about it. Will the first word he utters during the show be “Yo”? Or maybe “Vegas”, “Yeah”, or even “Usher”. (The key to this wager might be which song you believe he’ll sing first, something you can also bet on, natch.)

Related: 7 Super Bowl Snacks That Won’t Break the Bank, According to Redditors

7. Usher Performs a Swift Song

A photo illustration of Usher singing the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song.
Cheapism

Will Usher perform a Taylor Swift song during the halftime show to make all the Swifties swoon? According to the money coming in, most likely not. 

Related: Song Lyrics Everyone Gets Wrong

8. Halftime Wardrobe Malfunction

8. Halftime Wardrobe Malfunction
DepositPhotos.com

Remember the 2004 Janet Jackson halftime show scandal that made “wardrobe malfunction” a common phrase? Book makers do, and you can still bet on whether something similar will happen to any performer during the halftime show. Needless to say, it’s unlikely. 

9. Halftime Special Guests

9. Halftime Special Guests
yakub88/ DepositPhotos

Super Bowl halftime shows are known for having lots of surprise performers. You can bet on just how many show up (the line is set at 2.5, if you’re curious), and you can bet that specific people will appear on stage at some point during the show. Favorites include Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Lil John, while Madonna and Miley Cyrus are at the bottom of the list.

10. Swift and Kelce Proposal

Woman showing a diamond ring.
solidcolours/istockphoto

Swift and Kelce are the current celebrity “it” couple. Will they make it official with a (very) public proposal at the Super Bowl? All signs point to no, but you never know. 

11. Swift and Kelce Pregnancy Announcement

healthy pregnancy. Side view pregnant woman with big belly advanced pregnancy in hands. Banner copyspace for text. Elegant mother waiting baby
Natalia Kuzina/istockphoto

Hoo boy, now we’re starting to get a little crazy. Will Swift and Kelce announce their first pregnancy at the Super Bowl? That would probably break the internet, but crazier things have happened.

12. Blackout

New Orleans Saints, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, front exterior with road in the foreground against a blue sky
JHVEPhoto/istockphoto

The power went out in the Superdome for 34 minutes during the 2013 Super Bowl, and odds makers won’t forget it. You can bet on whether the power goes out during this year’s game as well, with “it won’t” being the heavy favorite, obviously. 

Related: The Cost of a Beer and Hot Dog at Every NFL Stadium

13. Bitcoin Price

Woman using a smart phone displaying a bitcoin wallet screen.
ersinkisacik/istockphoto

Cryptocurrency exploded in recent years, and the value of those digital currencies are very volatile. If you’re into speculation, you can bet on whether the price of Bitcoin or Ethereum goes up or down over the course of the Super Bowl. If you think you’ve got insider knowledge on crypto commercials or celeb endorsements, maybe it’s a good bet for you.

14. Gatorade Color

Tight end Zach Miller #86 and quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks dump Gatorade on head coach Pete Carroll in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVIII against the Denver Broncos
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Dousing the winning coach with a giant cooler of sports drink at the end of the game is a time honored tradition. One of the most fun bets you can make is what color that beverage is going to be. Purple, red, and blue are the favorites, but you can also wager on yellow, orange, clear, or the wildcard: no dousing will occur.

Related: The Best College Football Traditions

15. TV Commercials

TV commercial filming
DepositPhotos

Changing the channel during the Super Bowl is a party foul, even during the commercials. That’s especially true if you’re a gambler who wagers on which commercials are shown first. Will the Nerds ad be shown before Oreo? Will BMW come before Popeyes? Will Swift and Kelce be shown in a Super Bowl ad together? Those are just some of the wagers you can make.

Related: The 10 Most Expensive Super Bowl Ads Ever

16. “Unauthorized Person”

om Willis (L) and Justin Marshall look less than impressed as one of two streakers who invaded the field, holds up play during the Wallabies last minute 1614 win over the All Blacks in the TriNations Bledisloe cup rugby match at Stadium Australia, Sarturd
Ross Land/Getty Images

Will anyone run out onto the field who shouldn’t be there during the broadcast? That’s what sportsbooks call unauthorized persons. You can bet on their gender (men are the favorite), how long they’re on the field, if they contact a player, whether they enter the endzone, or even touch the midfield logo — all before being tackled by security, presumably. Who doesn’t root for a streaker?

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17. MVP Speech

A microphone on a stand in front of a large, defocused audience.
RapidEye/istockphoto

Not only can you bet on who the Super Bowl MVP will be (boring), you can bet on who that player will mention first in their award ceremony speech after the game. Usually, that means who they’ll thank first. Right now, teammates is the favorite, followed by God or Jesus, their city, coach, the team’s owner, and their family. 

Meet the Writer

Lacey Muszynski is a staff writer at Cheapism covering food, travel, and more. She has over 15 years of writing and editing experience, and her restaurant reviews and recipes have previously appeared in Serious Eats, Thrillist, and countless publications in her home state of Wisconsin.