This week’s episode of Wise Kracks sports betting podcast is a Super Bowl LVI extravaganza! It’s full of betting tips, a few of my craziest Super Bowl prop bet stories and two special guests – NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and DraftKings’ Johnny Avello.Â
The Super Bowl is finally here, and this Sunday we’ll see the Cincinnati Bengals take on the LA Rams in Los Angeles. Teams playing in their own city usually enjoy a visible advantage but in this case, many are questioning whether there will be much of a hometown crowd.
I wasn’t too surprised the line for the Super Bowl opened up at 4.5 and hasn’t moved much. Jon and I asked both of our special guests who they think will clinch the Super Bowl, and the major factors at play when betting on the game.Â
NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen
Former Pro Footballer Marcus Allen joined the show to give us insight into the Super Bowl. Allen has a ridiculously long list of major trophies and records, including winning the Super Bowl and being named the game’s MVP. Allen played the majority of his 16 NFL seasons in Los Angeles makes him the perfect person to talk about what to expect this weekend.
With so much early money heading towards the Bengals, QB Joe Burrow has been a hot topic of conversation. When asked about Burrow, Allen made a direct comparison to Joe Montana. This is high praise for Burrow, who is coming into his first year even making the playoffs.Â
Sports Betting Industry Vet Johnny Avello
We are excited to welcome an absolute legend in the sports betting industry to the show today Johnny Avello, Sportsbook Director at DraftKings. He shared a few great details on how the Super Bowl is shaping up for DraftKings. The sportsbook was the very first to get its lines out for the Super Bowl, with many props out days before other books. Avello revealed that it was a vast team of 50+ traders that allowed them to finish betting lines before anyone else.
Jon and I were both keen to ask Avello a range of questions – from the major factors affecting the big game to how much and where he expects the action to go. He believes the Rams may have some home-field advantage, but they aren’t going to have the fans there. Avello also shared they only have about 10-15% of the total bets for the Super Bowl as of Tuesday, so a lot of late money will be rolling in. It’s been widely reported that early money was leaning on the Bengals.
Tales of Past Prop Bets
I shared some of the more exciting proposition bets that are available for the Super Bowl with our listeners, which reminded me of two of my favorite prop betting stories:
1. Christina Aguilera FlubÂ
It’s Super Bowl XLV – Steelers vs. Packers. The first prop on the board was the over/under length on Christina Aguilera’s version of the Star-Spangled Banner. I bet heavy on the under. Sure enough, she finished well under, and I was ready to cash in. Unfortunately, upon further review, she forgot part of a line, causing the bet to be voided by the sportsbook. Ouch.
2. Gatorade Color
Picture this: Super Bowl XLVI – The New York Giants upset the New England Patriots yet again, and Coach Tom Coughlin became the oldest coach ever to win a Super Bowl. I received some great information that the Giants had two tubs of Clear Colored Gatorade, so if the Giants won, Clear Gatorade at +750 seemed like a great play. Well, after the Giants won, Coughlin was indeed soaked.
However, due to the angle of the camera shot and the blue Giant’s jacket Coughlin was wearing, it looked like the Gatorade was blue. I had to send screenshots in for this one.
Send us your questions on Twitter @BillKrackMan, @JonOrlando and @WSNsports. We pick listener questions every week.
Listen to Bill on his Sports Betting Podcast Wise Kracks by WSN
Check back with WSN weekly for new episodes of Wise Kracks. Subscribe to the WSN YouTube channel or find Wise Kracks on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
