Want to bet on the Super Bowl, but don't know how?
Online sports betting is now in 20 states — some with dozens of operators, some with just one. Another eight have in-person betting only.
And ahead of Super Bowl 56, you may be looking to get action down.
Here's how to get started if you are in a state with legal betting.
How to Bet on the Super Bowl
1. See where legal betting stands in your state
Before you can bet, you need to figure out if it's legal.
We're tracking the status of every state here, and also have this handy map.
If there is no legal betting in your state just yet, you can try something like PrizePicks, a daily fantasy site that allows you to parlay two or more player props together.
It's available in 29 states, including California, Texas and Florida. And you're playing against PrizePicks, not other players like traditional DFS.
2. Pick a sportsbook
Depending on your state, you may have one online sportsbook, or 25+ betting options.
States like New Jersey and Colorado made the barrier to entry much lower for sportsbooks, allowing free-market competition for any operator who wants to carve out its place. Other states like Oregon, Rhode Island and New Hampshire effectively gave monopolies to one sportsbook.
Here are our favorite sportsbooks for each state.
3. Claim a bonus, register
Let's start the signup process at BetMGM, which is available in 14 states, including newly-online New York.
Click the promo below and go through the registration flow. They'll ask for your name, address, contact info and the last four digits of your social security number. Complete all the steps with your accurate info, or the book won't be able to verify your identity.
4. Place your first Super Bowl bet
You're almost ready! Once your account is all set up, it's easy to make your first bet.
The process goes like this:
- Navigate to your desire bet
- Click the "cell" that aligns with your bet, and it will light up
- Go to your bet slip and decide how much you want to bet
- Click submit
Super Bowl 56 Odds
The Rams opened around -3.5, depending on the sportsbook, and have settled in at -4 ahead of the Super Bowl.
If you're looking to bet the game, we're already tackling some props and the full game spread:
- Koerner's Favorite Props
- Instant Reaction to the Super Bowl
- Super Bowl Trends & History
- The Team Our Model Likes
States With Legal Online Betting
States like Colorado and New Jersey have dozens of operators competing for your business. Others like New Hampshire and Oregon only have DraftKings, so if you want to bet, that's where you'll bet. Other states have only in-person betting, so you must drive to a casino to place bets.
Here are the states with at least one online book:
| Arizona | Louisiana | Pennsylvania |
| Colorado | Michigan | Rhode Island |
| Connecticut | Nevada | Tennessee |
| DC | New Hampshire | Virginia |
| Illinois | New Jersey | West Virginia |
| Indiana | New York | Wyoming |
| Iowa | Oregon |
If you are in a legal state, check out all our sportsbook reviews to get started.
And even if you're not in a legal state, you can still claim a FREE $100 from PrizePicks if Joe Burrow throws for a yard.
Which Props Can I Bet?
Some bad news — many of the Super Bowl props you've heard about over the years are not available at legal sportsbooks.
Why is that? Legal books cannot offer everything; offshore sportsbooks can, and not just on the Super Bowl. The gaming enforcement departments of many states have stricter rules around what can be offered, and many times, it must come from the official boxscore.
So depending on your state, you may not be able to bet on:
- National anthem odds
- Gatorade color dumped on the winning coach
- Coin toss
You definitely won't get things like "will the first commercial be for a beer brand" or "how many times will the announcers reference Clayton Kershaw and Matthew Stafford's friendship." Those are exclusively offshore props.
The props you will be able to find in every legal state:
- First and anytime touchdowns
- Player yardages
- Game props, like: Will there be a safety?
- And many more…
The boxscore framework is usually a good rule of thumb. If the prop cannot be decided from the official scoring of the game, it's possible that it won't be offered in some or all states.
