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Donald Trump Boosts Super Bowl Betting

January 30, 2019, 10:00 pm

Gamblers know all about the Super Bowl but it seems more Americans than ever are betting on the big game and President Donald Trump is one of the reasons.

Scott Cooley with Bet DSI says there are seven bets on his company’s website related to Trump. Even more bets on Trump can be found across the spectrum.

“It’s something that people like to talk about,” Cooley said about Trump.

Cooley’s company got a huge response last year by putting up what are called “prop bets” about the president. That being the case, this year, Bet DSI have expanded the options.

“Wherever the mainstream media are and the people are aggregating to, we want to try and capitalize on those hot topics and trending items,” Cooley said.

Bet DSI has prop bets including which will be the largest number: Trump’s approval rating, or the longest field goal made in the Super Bowl on Sunday. Cooley said the big money right now is on a simple question: will the president attend the Super Bowl?

“The option ‘no’ has spiked very high already and it is just increasing,” Cooley said. “A lot of people are laying the big juice and taking the ‘no.’ I don’t think there has ever been a big city president attend the Super Bowl.”

The Donald Trump betting phenomenon extends to after the game as well. Cooley says there’s also been big action from bettors on whether or not the winning team will be invited to the White House and whether or not they will accept the invitation. Betting on these props has spiked in the past two weeks once the New England Patriots made it to the big game, according to Cooley, with more money going on yes to both questions.

Asked why the Super Bowl is America’s number one gambling event of the year, Cooley believes it’s more accepted by society.

“The Super Bowl is the only game where people even talk about the spread, or the total, or the betting line,” he noted. “It seems that was something that was always available even going back to Super Bowl III when Broadway Joe boldly proclaimed that they were going to win as a massive underdog. At that point, he knew what the spread was and then everybody else did. I think as the decades progressed it’s become more visible, but that is probably what started it.”

One other bet involving politics to keep your eye on during the big game is the length of the longest touchdown. There is plenty of money on which will be longer: the recently concluded government shutdown or the longest touchdown in the Super Bowl. The betting public seems to think the shutdown will have been longer so Vegas is likely pulling for a touchdown of 35 yards or longer.

Cooley said he is expecting another record year of gambling.

“Always high,” he said. “The people that want to gamble have been gambling for years, for decades.

“We have seen an influx of new registration of new accounts,” Cooley noted, pointing to more betting from people in Florida or Texas. “There has been an increase in activity and interest.”

As for the games itself, the Patriots are currently 2.5 point favorites over the Los Angeles Rams, meaning if you bet on the Patriots, they must win by at least 3 points for you to win.

There are dozens of prop bets on the game though. Sites like Cooley’s go for interesting angles, including the length of the National Anthem in minutes and seconds. This year it will be performed by Gladys Knight and bettors must pick whether it will be shorter or longer than 107 seconds.

“People can’t bet tens of thousands of dollars or a million dollars on these things, but really the main reason that sports books put out props such as these is for publicity,” Cooley said.

There are other prop bets including will a team try an onsides kick before the fourh quarter or will any kicks hit the uprights or crossbar.

The Rams and the Patriots meet in the Super Bowl on Sunday to win the National Football League (NFL) championship.

Reach Mike Synan at Mike.Synan@floridadaily.com.