“There is a legend in the underworld. For those in the know, it’s called the Money Plane. Whatever you wanna wager on, the Money Plane has you covered.” — Darius Emmanuel Grouch III, a.k.a. “The Rumble”
If you watched that scene (from the 2020 cinematic masterpiece “Money Plane”) and thought to yourself: “Absolutely. Where do I buy my ticket?” Then your time of the year has come (also, you know there’s more to the quote that cannot be published).
The Super Bowl is the NFL’s Money Plane. Everything in and around the final game of the season is bettable, from the tears during the anthem to the first timeout called. But this is the 60th Super Bowl, and after a while, a gambler craves variety. Sure, you could bet on the first player to score, or the longest rush of the game, or even the exact order of the first two touchdowns. If that’s exotic enough for you, then stop reading.
If you want the “Money Plane” experience, however, fasten your seat belts and lock your tray tables. It’s takeoff time.
Note that most of these bets aren’t offered on regulated U.S. sportsbooks. Some can be found in Ontario or on offshore books that aren’t regulated in the U.S. Rather, think of these as suggestions for your Super Bowl party props sheet.
🎲 The Weirdest prop bets for Super Bowl LX 🎲
Let’s start with a simple one.
Which Bay Area landmark will be shown first?
Golden Gate Bridge: -1000
Alcatraz Island: +550
If you’re unaware, the game is being held at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. However, the stadium is actually in Santa Clara, which is less “San Francisco” and more “suburb of San Jose.” Neither San Jose nor Santa Clara is renowned for any visuals in particular, which means San Francisco will have to do a lot of the heavy lifting in the B-roll department.
The easy bet here is the Golden Gate Bridge, as it’s one of the more striking landmarks in the country and doesn’t come with the baggage of being a prison. And the last time the Super Bowl was in Santa Clara, the bridge was shown first. When do you think it happened? The opening shot? The first timeout? Coming out of halftime? Nope, 7:07 left in the game.
In fact, the entire first quarter came and went without the broadcast showing anything outside the stadium or its immediate surroundings, and there was only one beauty shot in the entire first half. That leaves the door open for an Alcatraz upset, because if there’s no rush to get to the postcard footage, the game could determine what gets shown first.
Picture this: The Seahawks are swarming Drake Maye, stacking up sacks, stifling scrambles and giving him all manner of hell. A producer gets an idea, and suddenly the broadcast comes back from the first quarter break with a shot of Alcatraz Island, and Cris Collinsworth offers up a gravelly “Heh heh hehhh, and there’s Alcatraz, Mike, and Drake Maye has gotta be feeling like he’s there right now, because the Seattle Seahawks have locked him up tight so far tonight.”
Book it.
Will a Patriots linebacker catch TD pass?
Yes: +700
No: -2000
If you blinked at this for a second, it’s ok. Mike Vrabel, coach of the Patriots, was once Mike Vrabel, linebacker of the Patriots. Linebacker Mike Vrabel had a cool side job as a red zone threat, catching 10 passes for New England, all 10 of which were touchdowns. Two of those were in Super Bowls (38 and 39). Here’s one of them:
Neat! You don’t need to see the others; they all look pretty much the same. This prop is a nostalgic nod to Vrabel and his super cool 100 TD percentage on catches.
But Vrabel was a one-off novelty. The Pats aren’t constantly searching for defensive players to use in goal-line trick plays. The last catch by a New England defensive player was in 2019 (Elandon Roberts, if you need a final question for your trivia night), the final year of Tom Brady’s reign. This happening now would depend entirely on whether Vrabel is the type of guy to secretly develop a trick play in celebration of himself, then game-test that play for the first time in the Super Bowl.
On the other hand, NFL coaches are confounding maniacs, and absolutely nothing is off the table if it means they could be hailed as a risk-taking genius. Still, a touchdown is too lofty. If this allowed two-point conversions to count, it’s even money.
Will the Seahawks attempt a pass from opponent’s 1-yard line?
Yes: +550
No: -1000
A true sicko’s bet. Perfect, no notes.
If you are somehow unaware, the last time the Seahawks were in the Super Bowl, they played the Patriots. Down four, Seattle drove the length of the field to the New England 5-yard line. They handed the ball to Marshawn Lynch, who ran the ball to the one with 29 seconds left in the game. Instead of doing that again, they threw a pass. To that point, 108 passes had been thrown from the 1-yard line that season. None of them had been intercepted. Number 109 was, and the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl.
The fact that this bet hinges only on Seattle attempting the pass makes it high art. It’s not a bet on a touchdown; on them finally healing that long-festering wound and moving forward as free men. Instead, it’s a bet that effectively asks, “How emotionally scarred do you think the Seahawks are?”
🚨💵 Free money lock 💵🚨
Will an unauthorized person (streaker) enter the field of play?
Yes: +300
No: -500
A good gambler waits for the right opportunity, and this is as ripe as they get. You want a clean record, or you wanna get paid? Up to you.
Which song will be sung first by the crowd?
Sweet Caroline: -120
Country Roads: -120
Is this a thing? No one said this was a thing. But if it is, then “Sweet Caroline” is a lock. Put a significant number of people in the same place, give them alcohol, and a “Sweet Caroline” sing-along is an inevitability. The laws of the universe are immutable.
Bets to ruin the party
Total number of punts
Over 7.5: -110
Under 7.5: -120
An offensive lineman to win MVP: +12500
This is just if you want to see the world burn. Lay these bets, go to a Super Bowl gathering and spend four hours loudly and performatively caring about the most boring aspects of football’s biggest contest. Say the phrase “flip the field” nonstop. Talk about the “game within the game.” Spend every commercial break shoving your phone into people’s faces to show them replays of “perfect pulling technique.”
No one cares about punters, and despite being the most important part of any offense, a lineman will never win MVP. These are forgotten men, but you can bring awareness to their contributions through radical action. At the very least, you’ll entertain yourself. (Also, if you put down $10,000 and a lineman wins it, you’re a millionaire!)