The Seahawks and Patriots will square off in Super Bowl LX on Sunday, and sportsbooks are getting ready for a drastically increased demand for sports betting.
"It increases 20 times more than usual, but alongside it, the product gets increased as well. So, we're pushing out 10,000 ways of betting on the Super Bowl," said Craig Mucklow, Vice President of Trading and Lead Oddsmaker at Caesars.
The American Gaming Association expects Americans to legally bet $1.76 billion on Super Bowl LX. Perhaps a big part of that is folks who bet only on the big game. People in Reno said Super Bowl bets have become an annual tradition.
"I'm 70 years old," said Lupe Duran. "I would say maybe 20 years or so."
"Oh my goodness, probably 20-some years," said Valerie Kilgore.
One neighbor said he does bet regularly, but on the other kind of football.
"I don't really bet on American sports. I bet more so on soccer," said Adonay Medina.
Even though he won't be betting on the big game this week, Medina said he'll enjoy the risk that comes with wagering the rest of the year.
"That's the best part," he said. "If you put in ten bucks, you could win 100 bucks."
Mucklow says the increased bets mean increased traffic at its hotel-casinos, especially the restaurants.
"The chefs and the table staff are extremely busy," he said.
Caesars recently released its prop bet menu for the Super Bowl. Other than the standard bets you see at most games, Mucklow said the fan-favorite coin toss bet is back.
"60% of the money's already on tails as we head into Sunday," he said. "So we're praying for heads right now."
You can even predict if the Seahawks will pass on the one-yard line like in Super Bowl XLIX, the team's last appearance in the big game. Other Super Bowl special bets include whether a team will come from behind to win, and if neither team scores a touchdown.
Despite the options, people in Reno say they're keeping it simple.
"I'm going to bet on New England that they're going to take the title," Duran said.
"I'm for the Seahawks," said Kilgore.
We'll see who's right this Sunday, and if the coin toss lands on heads like Mucklow hopes.
