With legal sports betting officially up and running in Illinois, you can experience the thrill of the “big game” like never before. The Super Bowl, the annual championship of the National Football League, is the most anticipated event every year by football fans and sports bettors alike.
The Super Bowl will be a top event at sports betting sites in Illinois. Expect sportsbook operators to offer exciting promotions and bet types. Our live odds feed brings you the latest numbers on the big game and the futures market. Read on as we cover all you need to know about Super Bowl betting in Illinois.
See below for the latest Super Bowl 55 odds from legal online sportsbooks. These are real-time odds directly from each sportsbook. To jump on a set of odds you like, click right on the odds and go directly to the online sportsbook. There you can claim your free bonus, register a new account and get your Super B0wl 55 bet down!
If you want to see the best Super Bowl lines currently posted across all online sportsbooks in Illinois, check our feed below. These are the best current odds (spread, moneyline, totals) for Super Bowl 55. Click on any of the odds to go directly to the sportsbook, claim your bonus and open a new betting account.
If you want to compare spreads, moneylines and totals (over/under) odds across Illinois online sportsbooks, use our feed below. Use the drop-down menu to change your odds board. See the lower feed for current Super Bowl 55 futures odds. Click on any odds to jump right to the sportsbook, claim any bonuses and start getting your bets down for Super Bowl 55.
It wasn’t too long ago that the only option for legal sports betting was in Las Vegas. These days, sports betting is legal and regulated in a growing list of states, including here in Illinois.
There are still unregulated options that would easily take your money, but it’s not worth the risk. Here’s why:
The list of reasons not to play at a sportsbook that’s not reputable is a lengthy one, but you get the gist. What’s more, you can be registered at a legal sportsbook in minutes by clicking through on our exclusive links to gain access to some awesome deposit bonuses.
The sign-up process is quick. After you’ve entered some basic details about yourself, look for the spot to download the app for your device from the sportsbook website. Log in with your mobile device and you’ll have legal sportsbook access whenever you are in Illinois.
There’s a whole host of betting options to consider for the big game. Let’s begin with the basics. Once the Super Bowl matchup is official, you’ll see a game line that looks like this:
Next to the team names are three sets of numbers, representing the odds for the main three bet types.
Each of these three bet types will see a lot of betting action for the Super Bowl, but the list of choices doesn’t end there.
Also known as propositional wagers, these are side bets on the game. Sportsbooks will offer up hundreds of them for the Super Bowl. Many of these Super Bowl prop bets revolve around player performances and game instances, for example:
Thanks to live betting, you can wager along in real-time as the game plays out. This is a fast-moving market in which odds and offerings will vary depending on what’s happening. Sportsbook apps make it a snap to stay on top of latest events. Live bets may be:
Parlays are wagers in which you place multiple outcomes on the same slip in hopes of a big score. You can tie together a few different bet types for the Super Bowl at most sportsbooks, such as:
In short, you won’t be lacking for options when it comes to betting on the Super Bowl. You can also make your call on which team will win the game at virtually any time via the futures market. Let’s take a closer look at how that works.
There will be plenty of time to celebrate once the Super Bowl is over, but it’s also time to consider who will win it all next year. The futures market never sleeps. Oddsmakers will release the odds for the next winner soon after the current Super Bowl is in the books.
The odds board will have lines for each of the NFL’s 32 teams. There will be some clear-cut favorites up top, long shots way down at the bottom, and everyone else in the middle. For bettors, the goal is to find the teams they are interested in betting on at the best possible price.
As time moves along, fortunes for each team will rise and fall. The same thing happens in the futures market. Teams who see lots of betting action could see their odds shorten, while the less popular clubs may become even longer shots.
Here’s what the odds for five top favorites could look like before the season gets underway:
Once the season gets underway, perspectives may change on the overall outlook for NFL teams. That could lead to the top of the Super Bowl futures market looking something like this:
A futures wager requires a long-term view, as tickets can’t be cashed until the big game is over. The market is also a great way to get a read on an upcoming season, at least as far as the oddsmakers and betting public sees it playing out.
After Super Bowl betting odds are released to the public, the numbers won’t stand still until kickoff. Once bets start coming in, sportsbooks will watch which way the money is flowing. If a lot goes on one side, then the operator has a liability on its hands.
If the public money is right, then the book is on the hook for a big loss. Since sportsbooks are for-profit entities, they’d rather not have that happen. As a result, they may start shifting the numbers in a bid to even out the action.
The side that sees the majority of bets will be made less attractive, while the other side may become a more appealing opportunity. If the initial move doesn’t have the desired effect, sportsbooks will make additional adjustments as needed.
In a perfect world, operators are hoping for near-equal action on both sides. They’ll make a profit due to the built-in juice. When it’s time for you to place your Super Bowl bets, be sure to compare the current numbers to where they opened. This comparison can provide valuable clues on where the public money has been flowing. While there’s no guarantee that the public will be right or wrong, it’s still helpful to know the general public sentiment.
Another big highlight on the Super Bowl betting menu is picking which player will win the MVP award. There are two significant ways to bet on the award: You can pick the individual player or make your call on which position will win.
For context, starting quarterbacks on the two sides will be the big favorites. Through the 54 editions of the Super Bowl to date, a QB has won the MVP 30 times. Over the last 10 years, the award has gone to a quarterback seven times.
That’s a pretty impressive run for signal-callers overall, but other players have broken through. Running backs and wide receivers have won seven MVP awards apiece, and it has gone to a defensive or special teams player 11 times (co-MVP in 1978 for two members of the Dallas Cowboys).
While you could place your bet on a QB and call it a day, the reality is that there won’t be a whole lot of value on the odds for those players. If you can dig deeper and find a potential gem, it’s a different story. For some clues, since 2000, a quarterback has won it 13 times.
Over that span, the remaining awards have broken down like this: four to wide receivers and four to defensive players.
Betting on football is pretty standard across the sports betting industry. However, there could be a quirk or two that rears its head here and there. Here are the main points you need to know about NFL betting rules:
That’s the most important stuff, but you should know that operators may have different rules on how specific events are handled. To avoid any confusion or unwelcome surprises, it’s always a good idea to review the NFL house rules and the sportsbook operator’s terms and conditions.
As one of the charter members of the NFL, the Chicago Bears have a lengthy and rich history. Here’s a look at some of the key points on that resume:
The team’s biggest highlight of the Super Bowl era came in its legendary 1985 campaign. After ripping through the regular season with a mark of 15-1, the team shut out the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC playoffs to reach the big game.
The dominance didn’t stop there. The Bears destroyed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX by a score of 46-10. Richard Dent snagged the game MVP award. The 1985 Bears are in the discussion of the best single-season team the NFL has ever seen.
The club made it to two other NFC title games in the 1980s, losing both times to the San Francisco 49ers. The Bears returned to the Super Bowl following the 2006 season, falling to the Indianapolis Colts by 29-17.
The last time that Chicago made it to the NFL’s final four was after the 2010 campaign. The team fell to the Green Bay Packers by 21-14. The Bears made it to the postseason once since then, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round in 2018.
Of the NFL’s 32 teams, 20 have at least one Super Bowl victory under their belts, while 13 have made it happen multiple times. Here’s 20 teams along with their record in the big game and the total number of appearances:
Team | Appearances | Record |
---|---|---|
New England Patriots | 11 | 6-5 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 6-2 |
Dallas Cowboys | 8 | 5-3 |
San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 5-2 |
Green Bay Packers | 5 | 4-1 |
New York Giants | 5 | 4-1 |
Denver Broncos | 8 | 3-5 |
Washington Football Team | 5 | 3-2 |
Las Vegas Raiders | 5 | 3-2 |
Miami Dolphins | 5 | 2-3 |
Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 2-2 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 3 | 2-1 |
Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 2-0 |
Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 1-3 |
Seattle Seahawks | 3 | 1-2 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 1-2 |
Chicago Bears | 2 | 1-1 |
New York Jets | 1 | 1-0 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 1-0 |
New Orleans Saints | 1 | 1-0 |
On the consecutive Super Bowl wins front, we’re still waiting for the first club to win three in a row. However, back-to-back Super Bowl wins have happened eight times:
Just three clubs have made it to the Super Bowl three years in a row or more:
Twelve NFL franchises are still on the hunt for their first Super Bowl win. Here’s the list, along with each team’s record in the Super Bowl, where applicable:
The Bills of the early 1990s were one of the best teams that never got over the hump. All the team’s Super Bowl losses came over the four-year stretch from 1990-93:
The Vikings are also in the conversation of best team to never win the Super Bowl, as all four of their defeats came over an eight-year stretch in the 1970s:
The 2021 Super Bowl will be the 55th edition of the big game. There have been dozens of memorable moments through the years, and the absolute best ones are naturally open for debate. Here are our five picks for moments that deserve to be in the conversation:
The 2020 Super Bowl was a big one for Illinois. No, the Bears didn’t make it, but two players who suited up for the game came from here. Jimmy Garoppolo, the QB for the San Francisco 49ers, hails from Arlington Heights. Ben Niemann, a linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, was born in Iowa, but he played his high school ball at Sycamore High School.
Here are five more players from Illinois who have appeared in the Super Bowl:
The Super Bowl is the biggest betting event of the year. Handicapping the game is similar to any other contest, and there’s no need to deviate due to the stakes being higher. That said, there are some Super Bowl betting tips to keep in mind:
Betting on the Super Bowl should be an enjoyable experience. There is never a good reason to bet outside of your comfort level or over your head. Stick to what works for you and enjoy the game.
Yes, sports betting was officially legalized in Illinois in 2019. Retail sportsbooks began opening up in March 2020, while online and mobile options started rolling out that summer. There are several options for bettors to legally place their bets in person, online or via app.
This happened during Super Bowl LIII in 2019: Johnny Hekker of the Los Angeles Rams with a 65-yard punt. The previous record was a 64-yard punt by Ryan Allen of the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.
Super Bowl XVI on Jan. 24, 1982, holds the all-time record with a 49.1 rating. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 26-21. Super Bowl XVII on Jan. 30, 1983 — Washington over Miami 27-17 — is second with a rating of 48.6.
The Buffalo Bills hold the all-time record with four straight appearances from 1990-93. Unfortunately, they lost all of them. The Miami Dolphins made it to three in a row from 1971-73, winning two of them. The New England Patriots made three straight trips from 2016-18, also winning two over that span.
Tom Brady holds the all-time record with six Super Bowl wins with the same team, all coming during his tenure as the starting QB of the New England Patriots. The team made it to nine Super Bowls with Brady.
This has only happened one time in Super Bowl history. On Feb. 5, 2017, the New England Patriots rallied from a massive deficit in Super Bowl LI versus the Atlanta Falcons. Down 28-3 at one point, the Patriots would go on to win 34-28 in extra time.
Tom Brady is atop the all-time list with four Super Bowl MVP awards: XXXVI, XXXVIII, XLIX and LI. He earned all of them with the New England Patriots. Joe Montana is second with three awards with the San Francisco 49ers: XVI, XIX and XIV.
A non-QB has won the Super Bowl MVP in 24 of 54 Super Bowls to date. Running backs and wide receivers have won seven times each, while a defensive or special teams player has won the rest. Julian Edelman was the last non-QB to win the award when he picked up the MVP trophy after Super Bowl LIII in 2019.
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the all-time lead with six wins each. The Patriots’ last crown came in 2018, while the Steelers last won in 2008. The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are second with five each, the last of which came in 1995 and 1994, respectively.
Super Bowl LV is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2021, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL. This is the third time that the venue has hosted the game. The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the Arizona Cardinals at Super Bowl XLIII in 2009, and the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants at Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 for the previous two editions at the stadium. Broadcast coverage for this year’s game will be handled by CBS.
Tom Brady is the leader with six Super Bowl rings, all of which he obtained with the New England Patriots. Charles Haley is second with five, three of which he won with the Dallas Cowboys with the other two coming with the San Francisco 49ers. There are nearly three dozen players who have won four Super Bowl rings during their careers.
The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are tied atop the list with five Super Bowl losses. The Patriots have won in their other six trips, while the Broncos have won it all three times. The Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills are next with four Super Bowl losses each, with both franchises losing in each trip they have made to date.