Who doesn’t love exotic prop bets when it’s time for the Super Bowl? You can place a prop bet wager on the occurrence of a safety and/or overtime during Super Bowl 55 at +650 odds at the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas.
The Super Bowl isn’t just a sporting spectacle; it’s also the single largest gambling day in North America. The American Gaming Association (AGA) estimates that more than 23 million Americans will gamble over $4 billion on Super Bowl 55.
But, how many bettors will miss out on the chance to prop bet on a rare situation like a safety or overtime?
The Super Bowl offers up numerous weird and in-depth prop bets. You can wager on the outcome of the coin flip and bet either heads or tails. Or you can even bet on the over/under total of how many touchdowns Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady will toss during the big game.
| SUPER BOWL 55 PROP BETS |
| WILL THERE BE A SAFETY? |
| YES +650 | NO -1000 |
| WILL THE GAME GO INTO OVERTIME? |
| YES +650 | NO -1000 |
The term “it takes money to make money” comes to mind with these particular prop bets. You really have to wager $10 to win a buck back. Or in typical betting terms, you have to lay $1000 to win $100. That’s why these type of prop bets might be a turn off to amateur or low-stakes bettors.
On the flip side, if you have a limited bankroll, the +650 odds may seem more attractive than having to lay a grand to win back a c-note.
Super Bowl Safety = 9 Times
A safety occurred nine times in the history of the Super Bowl. The last time it happened was on the first play of the game in Super Bowl XLVIII (aka SB 48) between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos fell behind 2-0 after a botched shotgun snap to Peyton Manning. At the time, that safety marked the fastest score in a Super Bowl, which happened 12 seconds into the game. That safety against the Broncos was a harbinger of doom. The Seahawks crushed the Broncos 43-8 and won the franchise’s only Super Bowl.
A safety didn’t occur in the first eight Super Bowls before happening in back-to-back years in Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X.
It took a full decade before another safety occurred, with 2-point scores happening in both Super Bowls XX and XXI. Another one happened in Super Bowl XXV between the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills.
The last bunch of safeties happened in back-to-back Super Bowls in Super Bowl XLIII and XLVI, and then again in in Super Bowls XLVII and XLVIII.
The Lone Overtime in Super Bowl LI
The Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots appeared in Super Bowl LI (aka SB 51) in 2017, which marked the first and only time in NFL history where two teams headed into overtime to determine a winner. Don’t bring up Super bowl 51 to Atlanta Falcons’ fans because it’s a touchy subject. The Falcons blew a 28-3 lead and the Patriots rallied back with 19 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force overtime. The Pats won 34-28 in overtime. The Falcons never recovered and the franchise has imploded since then.
In the 54 previous Super Bowls, the big game went into overtime only once. If you want to fade history, then fire away at an overtime bet. But, you’re getting robbed at +650 odds. The odds should be much higher, which means you should be getting more bang for your buck.
The overtime session in the Super Bowl will have a 15-minute game clock, but it’s a sudden-death situation. In the regular season, if two teams are tied at the end of overtime, the game is declared a tie. There are no ties in the Super Bowl, so the two teams will keep playing until someone scores.
The team that gets the ball first must score a touchdown to win the game. They could kick a field goal on their first possession, but their opponent gets one possession to either tie with a FG, or win outright with a touchdown. If both teams kick field goals on their first possession in overtime, the next score wins no matter what.
I loathe the NFL’s overtime rules. They should take inspiration from baseball’s “last licks” rule where both teams get an opportunity to score, with the home team earning the last chance, or last lick.
Check out more Super Bowl prop bets and OG’s coverage of Super Bowl 55.