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Super Bowl LV: Prop bets reflect reality of coronavirus

For bettors who believe that merely picking the winner of Super Bowl LV is boring, sportsbooks have a proposition.

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Proposition, or “prop bets,” gives bettors creative ways to win money. They are bets that do not necessarily have to do with the outcome of the game. Plus, they are fun to track.

Betting on this year’s game will reflect the reality of the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, during the telecast of Super Bowl LV, which word will be uttered first by announcers — “COVID” or “pandemic”?

According to the betting site sportsbetting.ag, “COVID” is favored at minus-175, which means that a $175 bet will win $100. Masks, at minus-200, is favored to be said before coronavirus, at plus-150, the website notes.

The pandemic is playing a key role in this year’s betting. The site’s line for at least 1½ players missing the game due to COVID-10 is minus-300, while the over is plus-200. That means a $100 bet will yield a $200 payday.

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Since Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will be playing in his 10th Super Bowl, several prop bets revolve around the GOAT.

According to sportsbetting.ag, Brady’s former coach at New England, Bill Belichick, will be a prop bet. “Belichick” is listed at minus-200 to be said at least once by announcers during the Super Bowl telecast.

The over/under betting line for the number of times Brady’s wife, Gisele Bündchen, is mentioned is 1½.

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Bettors can wager on which song will open The Weeknd’s halftime show. The favorite is “Blinding Lights” at plus-175, followed by “Pray For Me” at plus-250.

The Gatorade bath at the end of the game also has odds. Bettors can wager on what color the liquid that will be dumped on either Andy Reid or Bruce Arians will be. According to sportsbetting.ag and OddsShark, orange is the favorite at plus-130, followed by lime/green/yellow at plus-230 and red at plus-400.

According to OddsShark, the player who wins the Super Bowl MVP award will most likely mention his teammates first. Those odds are at minus-120, followed by God (plus-200) or family/family members (plus-550).

That MVP, according to the odds posted by sportsbetting.ag, will be Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at plus-100. Brady is next at plus-200, followed by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill (plus-1,000), and Buccaneers receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin (plus-2,800).

According to DraftKings and FanDuel, the coin toss before the game, is, not surprisingly given the statistical possibilities, dead even at minus-103 for both heads and tails.

According to FanDuel, the coin toss has come up as tails six times over the past seven Super Bowls. The exception was Super Bowl LII. Over the past 20 years, tails has come up 12 times, according to the website.

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Will politics creep into the commentary during Super Bowl LV?

According to OddsShark, the over/under for President Joe Biden being mentioned is 1, at plus-190 for over and minus-290 for under. For former President Donald Trump, the over for being mentioned is 0.5 at plus-800, while the under for having his name called is minus-2,500, with the under set at 0.5 times.

For bettors seeking “traditional” odds, favorites have covered the spread in the last two Super Bowls and in three of the last four, according to ESPN. Overall, favorites are 27-25-2. In straight-up betting, favorites have covered 35 times.

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As far as over-under bets are concerned, the last two Super Bowls went under the projected point total, according to ESPN. It has been even over the past 20 Super Bowls, with 10 overs and 10 unders. Historically, the figure is 26-26-1; there was no total for Super Bowl I, ESPN reported.

And, if you’re not into the game itself but love dogs, Team Ruff and Team Fluff both have minus-120 odds to win Puppy Bowl XVII, the Tampa Bay Times reported. That event can be seen on Discovery+ and Animal Planet on Super Bowl Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Fittingly, the winning canines will get to keep the Lombarky Trophy.

More coronavirus pandemic coverage:

>> Coronavirus: CDC acknowledges airborne transmission of COVID-19

>> Is it COVID-19, flu, cold or allergies? What is causing you to feel sick this year

>> Coronavirus: CDC updates guidance for COVID-19 testing

>> Dangerous hand sanitizer list up to more than 150 products, FDA announces

>> Wash your masks: How to clean a cloth face covering

>> Fact check: Will masks lower the oxygen level, raise the carbon dioxide in your blood?

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