The Super Bowl is almost here. It is the largest betting day of the year. Sportsbooks put mountains of prop bets on the board. These include alternative point spreads, who will score the first touchdown, how many yards a player will have receiving or rushing, and even props between different sports.
However, you will not find crazy or exotic Super Bowl prop bets in Colorado. Most of these are not approved, though there have been attempts by operators to put them on Colorado mobile betting apps.
This article was originally posted on Colorado Advantage. Posts and pages from that site have been relocated to US Casino Advantage. Additional archived posts may be found here.
Super Bowl coin toss
Many states permit bets on the Super Bowl coin toss. The options usually include heads or tails, if the team that calls the toss wins the toss, or the team that wins the toss wins the game. None of these bets are permitted at Colorado sportsbooks. They are considered outcomes of chance.
National Anthem Super Bowl bets
Other exotic Super Bowl prop bets include ones related to the National Anthem. The length of time that it takes the performer to sing it is the most popular one. Other types of National Anthem bets include if the singer forgets a word, a scoring drive takes more or less time than the National Anthem, if a player kneels during it or raises their fist. None of these are legal in Colorado due to it being related to chance, or a negative outcome.
Coaching props
There are bets on coaches that are available at unregulated sportsbooks but not at ones licensed to operate in Colorado. You will not be able to bet on whether a coach wears a hat, what color clothes they wear, or what color of Gatorade gets dumped on them if they win. These are all considered bets of chance.
Puppy Bowl
There is a new Puppy Bowl on Discovery every year. Adoptable dogs compete to score touchdowns. As cute as it is, the Colorado Division of Gaming says that bets may not be accepted on it. The opinion states that it is a game of chance, and that there may be integrity issues with the outcome.
That probably does not mean that the puppies are prone to cheating. It is just that the event is recorded months earlier. The outcome is known to some, and surely much of the action hits the cutting room floor.
Halftime show Super Bowl props
Offshore sportsbooks post many halftime show odds. This may be which song the performer plays first, what they wear, and if there is a wardrobe malfunction. All of these games are considered chance by the Colorado Division of Gaming. These are not on the board at the state’s sportsbooks.
More bets off the board in Colorado
There are many more types of bets that are not permitted at Colorado sportsbooks. These tend to be awards show props where a decision is made by committee, exhibition fights, a coach getting fired, or colors of teams advancing in a basketball tournament. These are either considered outcomes of chance or have potential integrity issues.
You are usually better off not making these types of bets anyway
Exotic prop bets often carry a massive house edge. The spreads can be -115 or worse on both sides. Multiple outcome events, like Gatorade color, can hold 30% or more for the house.
Another problem with these bets is that, in most cases, these are not permitted in a regulated jurisdiction. That means you must bet offshore, often using volatile cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. There is no recourse if you get stiffed by an offshore site.
There will be plenty of Super Bowl props at Colorado online sportsbooks. Some may have a large house edge, but at least you will get paid if it wins. The standard point spreads, moneylines and totals will also be available at all Colorado sportsbooks.
