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The Super Bowl is more than just the NFL’s biggest game every year. It’s more than just an international TV event and entertainment spectacular. The Super Bowl marks the biggest day of the year in sports betting as well.

In fact, in 2018, the American Gaming Association (AGA) estimated Americans bet somewhere around $4.76 billion on the Super Bowl. No other single sporting event attracts this much attention from gamblers. Plus, there’s nothing else that seems to get the average American more interested in laying down a bet than the Super Bowl.

In 2018, the AGA claimed close to 97 percent the billions bet on the Super Bowl was bet illegally, at offshore sportsbooks and illegal bookies. That means only 3 percent was bet legally at licensed sportsbooks in Nevada, the only state offering full-scale sports betting during the 2018 Super Bowl.

Of course, the percentage of the billions of dollars Americans will bet legally on the Super Bowl in 2019 will be up. That’s because licensed sportsbooks have launched in six more states in advance of Super Bowl LIII, including Pennsylvania.

Where to bet on the Super Bowl in PA

In fact, here in PA, there are now six Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) licensed sportsbooks taking bets on the Super Bowl. These are:

Anyone age 21 and older can get in on the Super Bowl betting action on the property at these retail sportsbooks. Unfortunately, there will be no PA online and mobile sports betting for the Super Bowl in 2019. However, operators are expected to launch statewide online and mobile sports betting well in advance of the 2020 Super Bowl.

Plus, Valley Forge Casino (March 2019), Presque Isle Downs (pending PGCB approval), and Valley Forge Turf Club (Q1 2019) are all expected to launch retail sports betting operations later in 2019 as well.

How to bet on the Super Bowl in PA

Licensed PA sportsbooks offer a variety of lines on the Super Bowl. Basic Super Bowl betting lines include:

  • Money line bets are where the sportsbooks set the odds and you pick the outright Super Bowl winner.
  • Point spread bets are where the sportsbooks set a line and you pick the Super Bowl winner with the line factored in.
  • Over/under bets are where the sportsbooks set a line on the total points scored in the Super Bowl and you pick whether it will be over or under that number.

PA sportsbooks will also allow you to combine any two or more of these basic bets into a parlay. Parlays pay better odds than individual bets. However, you have to win all bets that are a part of the parlay for it to pay.

Super Bowl game and player props

Sportsbooks really go all out for the Super Bowl, offering a ton of innovative and interesting ways you can bet on the big game.

In fact, licensed PA sportsbooks offer a variety of game and player proposition bets on the Super Bowl. These lines may include:

  • Who will win Super Bowl MVP?
  • Which team will score first?
  • Who will score the first touchdown?
  • Which team will successfully kick the longest field goal?
  • Over/under on how many yards and touchdowns each quarterback will throw for.
  • Over/under on how many yards and touchdowns each running back will run for.
  • Which receiver will catch the longest pass?

PA sportsbooks will offer dozens more Super Bowl game and player props in advance of the game. Check with each PA sportsbook to see what’s available.

Where to watch the Super Bowl in PA

PA sportsbooks are obviously among the best places to watch the Super Bowl in the entire state.

Most feature massive TV walls with big-screen HDTVs for Super Bowl viewing that put high-end home theater set-ups to shame. Plus, being at a sportsbook means you can get in on the live in-game Super Bowl betting action as well.

That means the ability to lay down bets on the Super Bowl on lines that change as the action does.

Of course, few things are more fun than a Super Bowl party with close friends and family. It’s hard to beat a great Super Bowl spread with top quality food and beverages. Just make sure the Super Bowl LIII party you’re hosting or attending has a decent HDTV tuned into CBS, the NFL’s broadcast partner for the big game in 2019.

Here is a rundown of the CBS affiliates in the state:

  • Altoona – WTAJ-TV 10
  • Erie – WSEE-TV 35
  • Harrisburg – WHP-TV 21
  • Philadelphia – KYW-TV 3
  • Pittsburgh – KDKA-TV 2
  • Scranton – WYOU 22

Being at a private home will likely offer the opportunity to focus on the Super Bowl game action without all the distractions that bars, restaurants and sportsbooks often present. Plus, you don’t necessarily have to miss out on the all the Super Bowl betting action, since you can always make some fun-and-friendly wagers with others at the party.

Licensed PA sportsbooks don’t offer the wacky Super Bowl props you may have read about online. However, if you’re at a private residence getting ready for Super Bowl LIII to start, there’s no reason you can’t bet on if National Anthem singer Gladys Knight will take a knee, or what the first song performed by Maroon 5 in the halftime show will be.

Photo by Jeff Bukowski / Shutterstock.com