How To Bet on Super Bowl 2024: Kansas City Chiefs vs San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl LVIII is just around the corner as the San Francisco 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night (kick-off, 11.30pm GMT).

We've got everything you need to know about betting on the climax of the American football season.

Super Bowl betting is big business, with $1.08 billion (£0.86bn) wagered in single-game legal bets on the event in the United States last year alone while the estimate for all wager types was $16 billion (£12.74bn).

In the UK, a record-breaking four million viewers tuned in to Super Bowl LVI to see the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 and around one million of those watch regular-season games every week.

For those new to American football, some of the Super Bowl betting terminology can be confusing as the terms used are not that familiar to British bettors.

To help out, we have developed a guide to the most popular markets with all the information you need ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.

How To Bet on the Point Spread

The point spread stands out as the most popular Super Bowl betting market, functioning similarly to a handicap bet commonly found in UK football. 

In this case, the bookmaker sets the points handicap, and both teams can be backed at roughly the same odds.

This year, the San Francisco 49ers are favoured by the bookies in the upcoming Super Bowl point spread market and start the game with a -2.0 handicap. 

Both teams have odds of 10/11 to win with the handicap applied.

So if you believe the 49ers will beat the Chiefs by more than 2.0 points, you bet on them, but if you think the Chiefs will win or lose by less than 2.0 points, you choose them.

Winning a point spread bet is often referred to as 'covering the spread.'

How To Bet on the Total Points

A bet on the total points, or total market, is similar to betting on the number of goals in a football match.

However, the main difference is that the bookmakers determine the under/over total, just like in the point spread market.

You are betting on the total number of points scored in the game by both teams combined, and whether it will be over or under the mark set by the bookmaker.

This year, the Super Bowl over/under line when it comes to the total number of points has been set at 47.5 by bet365. So, if you think the game at Allegiant Stadium is going to be a high-scoring affair with more combined points than the bookmakers expect then you would take the 10/11 about there being over 47.5 points.

Likewise, if you believe scoring will be limited by solid defences, you would opt for the odds of 10/11 available on under 47.5 points.

In this market, the winner of the game is irrelevant, as long as a certain number of points are scored or not scored. 

For example, if you expect this year's game to be a repeat of when these teams met in Super Bowl LIV with the Chiefs victorious by a score of 31-20 and you have bet on over 47.5 points, you win.

How To Bet on the Money Line

The money line is the market that is the easiest to understand for UK bettors as it is a straightforward wager on who will win Super Bowl LVIII. 

The market is only settled when the game is over and, together with the other two main bet types outlined above, includes overtime unless stated otherwise — unlike a lot of football markets where extra-time does not count.

The handicap and total number of points in the game are irrelevant — just as long as the team you have backed collect the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end means your bet is a winner.

As the point spread has already shown, the San Francisco 49ers are narrow favourites, offered at 10/13 on the bet365 money line, while the Kansas City Chiefs are available at 11/10.

So, according to the odds, this year’s Super Bowl looks set to be another classic and one of the most memorable sporting events of the year.