Every year, the Super Bowl arrives with maximum fanfare as millions of people around the world tune in for a can’t-miss showcase. Two teams who survive an absolute gauntlet of a playoffs and square off in a battle that is televised on screens spanning the globe. We are now quickly arriving at this major showdown, and millions are readying themselves for the betting that is sure to ensue.

Betting on the Super Bowl is a time-honoured tradition enjoyed by a vast number of Canadians every year. This is the year’s biggest sporting event, and gambling on it is a major part of the experience. Below, we’re going to give you the rundown on what you need to do to start wagering on the big game. We’ll cover all the info that will help you get started and ensure you find some major success betting on the sporting spectacle of 2024.

What to Know For Super Bowl LVIII (58)

The 2023-24 NFL season has wrapped, and the Super Bowl is officially set. We can look forward to a hugely thrilling matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. This is a rematch of the Super Bowl mere years ago, and the hype for the big game is real.

The game will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the home of the Raiders. It will be held on February 11th at 6:30pm Eastern Time. The halftime performer will be R&B icon Usher. It is sure to be an incredible look at the NFL’s best, and another addition to the timeless legacy of the massive event.

Canadians can watch the Super Bowl live on TSN, CTV, and CTV2 to enjoy the biggest sporting event of the year live. The game has yet to be decided for this year’s showdown, as at the time of writing, we are just beginning the playoffs. So much has yet to be determined for the event, and we will continue to update bettors as the playoffs progress. With just two teams remaining, bettors will have two options to pick from. 

San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are the favourite to claim this year’s Super Bowl. And why not? They have been incredible this season. Led by a breakout Brock Purdy, the offence has dynamic talent all over, including Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. The defence is ferocious, and coach Kyle Shanahan is brilliant.

Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens have cemented themselves as the top team in the AFC. They have outduelled several top-notch opponents and built an offence around Lamar Jackson that seems ready to take the next step. This isn’t even to mention their defence, which has been unquestionably one of the top in the league.

Dallas Cowboys: The Dallas Cowboys have put themselves in a great position to win the Super Bowl. They have a stacked offence, led by Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. And their defence plays fast and aggressive. This team looks genuinely dangerous. If they can avoid another postseason collapse, this could be their year.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending champs, and a dangerous foe. Any time Patrick Mahomes steps onto the field, defences are in danger. While there have been some serious speedbumps this year, leading to questions about their ability to get things done, they are hard to bet against. Travis Kelce is still a star, and Andy Reid is a genius. The defence is also better than ever.

Buffalo Bills: The Buffalo Bills were on of the favourites to start the year before a difficult decline. They have now re-established themselves as favourites after a strong close to the season. Josh Allen remains one of the game’s most unique talents. The defence has navigated a huge number of injuries to remain competent. And their rushing attack is getting it done.

Philadelphia Eagles: Philadelphia had a storybook start to the season before falling off a cliff. The question is, is this the team we saw at the start of the year or the end? Their defence is immensely flawed, and they may have been exposed. But they still have stars all over their roster, and Jalen Hurts is one of the most incredible offensive weapons in the game.

Top Super Bowl Sportsbooks

One of the most important things to consider when learning how to bet on the Super Bowl in Canada, is which Canadian sportsbook you’re going to do your betting with for the big game. The success of your Super Bowl betting, like any kind of betting, has a lot to do with the odds the sportsbook gives you, so to ensure you pick a good one for your Super Bowl betting, we’ve put together a short list of the top five options in Canada:

  • Sports Interaction: Our favourite Canadian sportsbooks, new members get up to $500 in free bets upon joining and they’ve got top of the line odds on their Super Bowl betting markets!
    👉 Visit Sports Interaction site
  • 888sport: Another top contender, 888sport separates itself with the enormous number of Super Bowl betting markets it has at its disposal.
    👉 Visit 888sport site
  • ShangriLa: This sportsbook offers tons of bonuses and free bets but also features not only live betting options but bet builders as well.
    👉 Visit ShangriLa site
  • Fezbet: One of the few Canadian sportsbooks that offer live streaming for several of its betting markets, and it also accepts cryptocurrencies for all you burgeoning crypto-philes out there.
    👉 Visit Fezbet site
  • Powbet: New kid on the block offering a lot of value on their Super Bowl odds as well as a $150 welcome bonus for new bettors.
    👉 Visit Powbet site

Super Bowl Betting - Understanding Odds

The first thing to get under your belt if you’re a beginner bettor trying to learn how to bet on the Super Bowl is how to understand the odds you’re dealing with.

First, we have decimal odds, which are probably the most commonly used odds in the Great White North. Not only that, but they’re easily the most simple way to calculate payouts: simply multiply the decimal odds number by your stake. For example, a $10 bet on 2.5 decimal odds would yield (10 x 2.5) $25. The higher the decimal number, the higher the odds, and the higher the payout. Decimal odds below 2.0 will yield less in winnings than your original stake and usually indicate a favourite.

For American odds, it’s a bit more complicated but still very simple. When you see a minus (-) symbol that indicates a favourite or something that’s likely to happen. To calculate payout, simply look at the number next to the (-) symbol: that number is how much money you would need to bet to win $100. For example, -150 odds means you need to bet $150 to win $100, -500 odds means you need to bet $500 to win $100.

When you see a plus (+) symbol when dealing with American odds, that means you’re dealing with an underdog or something that’s unlikely to happen. To calculate payout, simply look at the number next to the (+) symbol: that’s how much you will win on a $100 bet. For example, +150 odds means you’ll win $150 on a $100 bet and +500 odds means you’ll win $500 on a $100 bet.

Currently, the Odds are favouring the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers had a dominant regular season, and their weaknesses aren’t as clear as the Chiefs. But the odds are pretty tight, reflecting a good deal of uncertainty. Bettors will find plenty of potentially profitable options amongst the odds for wagering on this game.

Super Bowl Betting - Markets & Bet Types

When a big event like the Super Bowl comes around, there is always a far wider variety of betting markets specifically prop bets that are offered up to bettors. To help you navigate the different bet types and show you how to bet on the Super Bowl in Canada, we’ve broken down the most common of these markets.

  • Moneyline: The simplest of the bunch, a bettor is simply choosing a team to win the big game.
  • Point Spread: A much more popular bet during the Super Bowl is the point spread bet, where you’re betting on how much the favorite will win by or the underdog will lose by. This market equals the playing field by taking a number of points away from the favorite (the spread) and therefore making the odds on each side equal and reasonable.
  • Total: A wager on how many points will be scored in the big game, this can be a fun bet to make because you don’t have to worry about who will win, just as long as they score the right amount of points. You can bet on the teams to combine to score over or under the proposed number.
  • Props: There are countless regular game-related props like touchdown scorer, how many yards a player might have, who will win the third quarter, etc. But during the Super Bowl they also have some fun ones unrelated to the game, like which color Gatorade will be poured on the winning coach, how long it will take for the National Anthem to be sung, what order commercials will appear on the broadcast, etc.
  • Futures: This market allows you to make a bet on the Super Bowl winner and participants before the season even commences. This means that even the top favorites will be offering valuable odds, so a one-two futures bet on a Super Bowl champ as early as possible is usually not a bad idea.
  • Parlays: Also known as accumulators or combo bets, parlay betting is simply two or more individual bets rolled into one, with the fates of all selections involved linked together. If you lose one part of the parlay, the whole parlay loses. It offers exponentially higher odds, but the risk is also much higher.

Super Bowl Betting Strategies & Stats

Now that you’ve been informed on the logistics of Super Bowl betting, we can get into some sneaky Super Bowl betting strategies, as well as some useful Super Bowl stats and trends that could give you a betting advantage.

  • Follow The Line: Once the Super Bowl participants are set, the line moves a lot over the next 24 hours, then cools off for a couple of weeks until the 48 hours right before kickoff, when there’s tons of movement again. If you’ve got a spread number in mind, keeping a close eye on the line during these two periods could be very beneficial: 11 of the past 14 Super Bowl winners were backed by the early line movement.
  • Count On The Jitterbug: If you think learning how to bet on the Super Bowl in Canada is tough, just imagine playing in the darn thing. There are always nerves and big-game jitters, no matter who they are, no matter how many times they’ve been there. Because of this, teams have come out of the gates slow in recent years: the last 14 Super Bowls have seen an average of just 7.1 points per first quarter. Get to smashing that first quarter under people.
  • Think Up A Script: A good way to have success with your Super Bowl betting is to consider the game script beforehand: will the teams throw a lot, do they have strong defenses, do they have strong running games, do they have good kickers. Figuring out what you think is the most likely game script allows you to bet with a strategy in mind of how the game is going to go, and what needs to happen for the game to go that way. For example, if you’re expecting a barnburner, don’t just take the over on the game total points, also pick several players to hit their yardage and touchdown overs as well.

Other Notable Stats

  • 37 of 57 Super Bowls were won by the team that scored first
  • 37 of 57 Super Bowls were won straight up by the betting favorite
  • 31 of 57 coin tosses have turned up Tails
  • The over has gone 27-27-1 in Super Bowl history, including 11-11 over the past 22 years
  • 6 of the past 8 Super Bowls were won and covered by the AFC participant