The Seattle Seahawks’ 43-8 dismantling of the Denver Broncos was devoid of drama for bets on the side (who would win), but with the total closing as high as 49 in some places, the lone score by the Broncos made the Over bettors the unlikely winners. There was a rumor that boxer Floyd Mayweather lost a $10.4 million bet on the Broncos, but he vigorously denied it and we lean toward believing him, as it would be difficult to get that much money down without more people knowing about (and being able to confirm) it.
It was the biggest year ever for the proposition bets. LVH put up about 350, but was outpropped for the first time by William Hill, with books in several Nevada casinos, which put up more than 400 different bets.
For the third year in a row, the pros got stuffed betting against a safety at about -800 (bet 8 to win 1). The safety Yes bettors cashed in at 5-1 and "first score is a safety" paid about 50-1. The no-overtime bet also went off around -800. It was never in danger and is now a perfect 48-0 in the Super Bowl. Marshawn Lynch scored the first touchdown at 5-1 odds. The payout for pegging the final total points for the Seahawks being 43 was 75-1 and the payout for betting that the Broncos would have only 8 was 150-1.
One interesting result came in a prop pitting the total number of points scored by the Broncos +9.5 against total points scored by the NBA’s Kevin Durant in a game the night before. Durant had been on a tear, setting a league record for consecutive 30-point games, but managed only 26 points in the pre-Super Bowl game. Needing only 17 points to cover, Broncos bettors were licking their chops, but we all know how that turned out.
Of course, it’s the offshore props that get all the attention, starting with the length of the national anthem, that, despite the artsy rendition by opera singer Renee Fleming, went easily under the 2:20 mark set at most books, finishing in 1:53. The Bronco’s Knowshon Moreno was a big favorite not to cry during the national anthem, and he didn’t.
During the halftime show, Bruno Mars’ first song was "Locked Out of Heaven," which was a second favorite to "Treasure." Bruno didn’t wear a hat, which paid 2-1. "Will any member of the Red Hot Chile Peppers be shirtless at any time during their performance" was an easy yes (both Anthony Kiedis and Flea were), paying at -140.
We saw conflicting reports ranging from 0 to 2 for the number of times Peyton Manning called "Omaha" during the game, but it didn’t matter—the line was 27.5.
And there was action right to the end for bettors wagering on the color of the Gatorade dumped on winning Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. Controversy, too, as he was soaked twice—first with orange and then with yellow. Offshore bookie Bovada paid off both bets.
