Leading right up to the kickoff of Super Bowl LV in 2021, we tracked the biggest bets on Super Bowl and saw a handful of million-dollar "major wagers" hit sportsbooks throughout Super Bowl week.
Super Bowl LV Biggest Bets
These were the biggest bets placed on the Super Bowl in 2021:
| Amount | To Win | Bet | Sportsbook | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $3,436,000 | $2,714,440 | Buccaneers +3.5 (-126) | DraftKings | Feb. 3 |
| $2,300,000 | $2,000,000 | Buccaneers +3.5 (-115) | BetMGM | Jan. 28 |
| $2,500,000 | $1,515,151 | Chiefs ML (-165) | BetMGM | Feb. 7 |
| $1,160,000 | $748,387 | Chiefs ML (-155) | William Hill | Feb. 7 |
| $1,000,000 | $1,350,000 | Buccaneers ML (+135) | BetMGM | Feb. 6 |
| $1,000,000 | $769,231 | Bucs +9/Over 50 teaser | BetMGM | |
| $520,000 | $433,333 | Chiefs -3 (-120) | William Hill | Feb. 1 |
| $500,000 | $304,878 | Chiefs ML (-164) | Circa Sports | Feb. 6 |
| $345,000 | $300,000 | Buccaneers +3.5 (-115) | BetMGM | Feb. 2 |
| $325,000 | $325,000 | Chiefs -3 (even) | The SuperBook | Feb. 7 |
| $281,000 | $244,348 | Chiefs -3 (-115) | BetMGM | Feb. 6 |
| $220,000 | $200,000 | Buccaneers +3 (-110) | BetMGM | Feb. 7 |
| $205,000 | $186,364 | Under 56.5 (-110) | BetMGM | Feb. 2 |
| $180,000 | $100,000 | Chiefs ML (-180) | BetMGM | Jan. 24 |
| $120,000 | $100,000 | Chiefs -3 (-120) | William Hill | Jan. 24 |
| $115,000 | $100,000 | Chiefs -3 (-115) | BetMGM | Jan. 25 |
| $110,000 | $100,000 | Chiefs -3 (-110) | BetMGM | Jan. 24 |
| $100,000 | $60,606 | Chiefs ML (-165) | William Hill | Jan. 31 |
| $98,550 | $59,727 | Chiefs ML (-165) | William Hill | Jan. 25 |
| $82,500 | $75,000 | Over 56 (-110) | The SuperBook | Feb. 7 |
| $75,000 | $62,500 | Chiefs -3 (-120) | PointsBet USA | Feb. 1 |
| $50,000 | $73,000 | Buccaneers ML (+146) | FanDuel | Jan. 25 |
DraftKings lands largest Super Bowl wager
A super-sized Super Bowl bet landed on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, at DraftKings in Colorado, and it came from a none-too-surprising source: Jim McIngvale, aka Mattress Mack, the high-rolling Houston furniture store owner. McIngvale flew into Colorado Springs, got on the DraftKings app, and put $3.43 million on an alternate line of Bucs +3.5 (-126), for a potential payout of $2.71 million if the Bucs stay within a field goal.
"The NFL has only seen eight instances of back-to-back champions and none in the past 16 years, so I like my chances going into Super Bowl LV for this trend to continue," McIngvale said in a statement released by DraftKings.
As has often been the case with McIngvale's large plays, the bet is serving as a hedge on a promotion at his furniture store. McIngvale did likewise last year, betting large against the Chiefs throughout the playoffs.
BetMGM Lands Massive Multi-Million-Dollar Bet
On Jan. 28, a Las Vegas BetMGM customer bet a whopping $2.3 million on Buccaneers +3.5 (-115). Should Tampa Bay cover, the bettor would win a cool $2 million. "Money right now is 12/1 on the Bucs, just because of that bet," BetMGM Nevada's Jeff Stoneback on Jan. 29.
Feb. 2 saw a pair of large plays at BetMGM: $345,000 on Bucs +3.5 (-115), to win $300,000; and the largest reported play thus far on the total, a $205,000 bet on Under 56.5, to win $186,364. And a day before the Super Bowl came the aforementioned $281,000 bet on Chiefs -3 (-115), followed by the massive million-dollar play on Bucs moneyline +135.
Right out of the gate Jan. 24, after Super Bowl odds first went up, BetMGM took a $180,000 play on Chiefs moneyline -180, a wager that would win $100,000 as long as Kansas City wins the game. That same evening, a bettor put $110,000 on the Chiefs -3, to win $100,000. And on Jan. 25, another BetMGM customer wagered $115,000 on Chiefs -3 (-115), also to win $100,000.
On the morning of game day, BetMGM took a $220,000 bet on Buccaneers +3.
William Hill US Draws Major Wagers
At lunch hour on Feb. 1, a sizable Super Bowl bet landed on the counter at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. A William Hill US customer put $520,000 on Chiefs -3 (-120), for a potential win of $433,333.
WillHill director of trading Nick Bogdanovich held firm at K.C. -3 (-120), and when asked how close his shop is to moving the line to Chiefs -3.5, he said: "Not close. A long way to go in this race."
The $520,000 wager trails only last week's massive $2.3 million play on Bucs +3.5 (-115) at BetMGM (see below).
William Hill has seen a few more noteworthy big plays, as well. An Illinois bettor put $120,000 on Chiefs -3 (-120), to win $100,000 shortly after the game opened Jan. 24. WillHill also saw an early bet for $98,550 on Chiefs moneyline -165, to win $59,727. On Jan. 31, a Las Vegas bettor put $100,000 on Chiefs moneyline -165, to win $60,606.
PointsBet USA Takes $75K Wager
On Feb. 1, PointsBet got its biggest Super Bowl bet to date, a $75,000 play on Chiefs -3 (-120). If Kansas City covers the number, the bettor would win $62,500.
FanDuel Takes $50K Wager
FanDuel has seen a few five-figure wagers, the largest of which is a $50,000 play on Buccaneers moneyline +146. The bet was placed Monday and, should Tampa Bay win outright, the customer would pocket $73,000.
Last-minute major Super Bowl bets in Vegas
There was a late flurry of big Super Bowl bets. About 3.5 hours before kickoff on Feb. 7, 2021, William Hill US took a $1.16 million bet on Chiefs moneyline -155 in Las Vegas. Then shortly before kickoff, BetMGM reported a $2.5 million Chiefs moneyline -165 wager, along with a $1 million teaser of Buccaneers +9/Over 50.
Those bets stacked up on a busy Saturday. At Atlantic City's Borgata, a BetMGM book, a customer plunked down $281,000 on Chiefs -3 (-115) Saturday afternoon. A short time later in downtown Las Vegas, hotel-casino owner, and betting aficionado Derek Stevens announced that his Circa Sportsbook took a $500,000 wager on Chiefs moneyline -164, to win $304,878.
Then came another seven-figure play Saturday night, also in Vegas, with BetMGM: $1 million on Buccaneers moneyline +135, for a potential win of $1.35 million. On Sunday morning, The SuperBook at Westgate landed its biggest Super Bowl bet so far, $325,000 on Bucs +3 (even), which would win $325,000 if Tampa beats that number.
Big Bets Aren't Usually From Sharp Bettors
Too often, people assume that the biggest bets on the Super Bowl come from sharp bettors. However, that's almost never the case. In almost all instances, these bets come from high-rolling customers whom sportsbooks/casinos are willing to extend a much higher betting limit.
That's not to say some of these bettors aren't informed about their plays. But they're not seen in the same light as professional bettors. Perhaps the best indication of that so far for Super Bowl 55 comes in the form of that aforementioned $2.3 million wager on Bucs +3.5 (-115) at BetMGM. Even after that bet landed, and even though it put BetMGM Nevada in a spot where there's now 12 times more Tampa point-spread money, the line remained Bucs +3.5 (-115), not moving so much as a nickel on the price.
Sharp play, on the other hand, often will move the needle on far smaller bets, leading to an adjustment on the number and/or the price, depending on the type of bet. Even one wager from a respected player can move the number. For example, after The SuperBook posted Super Bowl odds on Jan. 24, the total initially moved from 57 to 57.5. Then sharp play – perhaps as relatively nominal as $1,000 – came in on Under 57.5 and Under 57, and the book quickly dropped to 56.5.
"It's not about the dollar amount," SuperBook executive director John Murray said. "It's about the customer who bet it."
Where Can I Bet on the Super Bowl?
You can bet on Super Bowl odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, and a ton of Super Bowl prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top Super Bowl betting sites in your area.
