Super Bowl Betting is Only Getting Easier — And Weirder

Sports betting apps and prediction markets make it easy to wager on everything and anything.

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Edited by other Published Feb 6, 2026 SOME CARD INFO MAY BE OUTDATED

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This Super Bowl Sunday, why limit yourself to watching the game when you could be gambling while you do it? At least that's how millions of Americans will be spending game day. The American Gaming Association expects 67 million Americans will be wagering on Super Bowl 60, spending roughly $1.76 billion — a 27% year-over-year increase and a record number. Football is far from the only thing you can bet on come Sunday. The biggest game day of the year is a free-for-all for bettors of all stripes, and it’s easier than ever to place a wager on the weirdest of outcomes. Sure, you can still put money on who wins Super Bowl 60 when the Seattle Seahawks (the clear favorites) face the New England Patriots (the de facto underdogs). But plenty of action has nothing to do with coin toss wins, touchdowns or the MVP.

Will Stefon Diggs propose to Cardi B after the game?

Here are some of the more notable novelty bets we’ve seen so far from popular sports betting apps like DraftKings and BetMGM, as well as prediction market newcomers Kalshi and Polymarket: The first song in Bad Bunny’s halftime set and what he’ll wear during it. If a player or coach will cry during the National Anthem, and the total length of the last “brave” note held during the song. Temperature at the time of kickoff in Santa Clara, Calif. Color of first gatorade pouring on the winning head coach, and the positions of the players who pour it. The number of times Cardi B will appear on the broadcast, and if Stefon Diggs will propose to her after the game. Who will be in attendance — Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet or Drake? Who the MVP winner will thank at the podium (God sits at number one, followed by teammates). At this point, most anything is fair game during the big game. And the Super Bowl isn’t the only major event happening this weekend: it coincides with the opening games of the Winter Olympics, which are already generating a slew of bets across its 116 events.

How sports betting went normie

Sports betting is now so mainstream that it's hard to forget that none of this existed at scale five years ago. Before 2018, legal sports betting was limited to Nevada, which meant the illegal sports betting market was thriving. Then in 2018, the Supreme Court ruled in Murphy vs. NCAA that the federal government can’t bar states from creating their own rules around sports betting. Murphy vs. NCAA

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In the aftermath of the ruling, states began legalizing, regulating and taxing sports betting — lining their coffers with a new source of revenue. Today, sports betting is mainstream and more than 30 states and DC allow some form of legal sports betting, including mobile apps and online wagering. What’s changing isn’t that people like to gamble — it’s that betting apps and websites are frictionless — it’s legal, instant and available on your phone. You can place a wager in seconds and adjust it mid-game as the app’s algorithm updates the odds in real time. Sports betting is so baked in at this point, it’s reshaped how people watch. A Jan. 26 report from Ipsos found that the share of Americans who have placed a bet on a live sporting event has doubled since 2022. It found that 17% of Americans surveyed had placed a legal sports bet up from 13% in 2024, and 8% in both 2022 and 2023.

Prediction markets are in the game, too

App-based gambling is king, but prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi have also exploded in both volume and visibility. On these prediction markets, you can bet on real-world outcomes for everything from elections to economic data, awards and, yes, sporting events like the Super Bowl. It’s the second Super Bowl for Kalshi and the first for Polymarket. As of Feb. 4, Kalshi said that its Super Bowl 60 contracts had generated more than $161 million in trading volume. Prediction markets use tradable contracts that are priced to reflect the crowd’s belief about the likelihood of something happening. On these platforms, every contract is a yes or no bet and you get $1 if you’re right and nothing if you’re wrong. The price tells you the market’s estimate of the chance of an outcome. As of now, the Seahawks are priced at 68 cents, which means the market thinks the Seahawks have a 68% chance of winning. If you buy a “yes” contract at 68 cents and the Seahawks win, you get $1 — a 32 cent profit. Meanwhile, the Patriots are at 33 cents, which means the market thinks they have a 33% chance to win. If you buy a “yes” contract at 33 cents and they win, you pocket 67 cents. While the boundaries between traditional gambling apps and prediction markets are fading, the NFL is drawing one line in the sand: Kalshi and Polymarket have been banned from advertising during the Super Bowl, lumped in with tobacco, firearms and pornography. Traditional gambling apps like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars are free to run ads (and I bet they will).

When you should tap out

Apps, gambling and watching sports are all fun, but they can also be habit-forming. At a certain point, betting apps can stop feeling like a game and the stakes get real fast Sports betting apps and prediction markets pose a host of regulatory concerns, debates about tax rates and general frustration with the ubiquity of ads. A Pew Research survey published in October found that while half of Americans didn’t see legal sports betting as good or bad for society, an increasing number of Americans view it as harmful for society — 43% in 2025, up from 34% in 2022. You’ll get no finger-wagging from me: If you want to gamble, go for it. But it’s key to treat betting like entertainment, not income. It helps to set your own limits, stick to them and back out if you’re not having a good time. If betting of any kind starts to feel out of your control, there are resources to get support. A good first place to start is the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-MY-RESET. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images News via Getty Images) (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images News via Getty Images) Explore more on Article sources NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines. About the author Anna Helhoski is a senior writer covering economic news and trends in consumer finance at NerdWallet. She is an on-air contributor and producer of Money News segments for NerdWallet's Smart Money podcast. She is also an authority on student loans. She joined NerdWallet in 2014. Her work has been syndicated in news outlets nationwide including The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and USA Today. She previously covered local news in the New York metro area for the Daily Voice and New York state politics for The Legislative Gazette. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Purchase College, State University of New York. Published in Gas Prices Cross $4 Nationally as War Continues Why Is Food So Expensive? U.S. Adds 178,000 Jobs in March, Beating Expectations Rent Growth Continues to Top Inflation— What That Means For You By Anna Helhoski, Taryn Phaneuf Beef Prices Rise Again By Taryn Phaneuf Can Trump Lower Gas Prices as President? By Taryn Phaneuf Why Is My Car Insurance So High? By Kayda Norman, Ryan Brady, CFP® Trump’s Tariffs Begin: Here’s What Could Get More Expensive By Taryn Phaneuf What Trump’s Tariffs Mean for Small Businesses By Randa Kriss Are Car Prices Going Up or Down? By Shannon Bradley SCOTUS Halts Trump’s Tariffs — What’s Next? By Anna Helhoski What Is a Trade War and How Could It Raise Prices? By Anna Helhoski Mortgage Interest Rates Forecast By Taylor Getler