Behind-the-Scenes of Betting on the Super Bowl

When the CBS 58 Big Road Trip rolled in to Las Vegas this weekend it was fairly empty, but a much different scene is expected next weekend for Super Bowl 50 and a lot of those visitors are expected to bet big money.

If you think there's pressure on the players next Sunday, for Sportsbooks across Nevada like Westgate Superbook, there's an estimated $120 Million in bets on the line.

"We're anticipating a record," said Jeff Stoneback the manager of the book at the Mirage. He tells CBS 58 he's already seen a half mission wager, but it's the recreational gambler that really drives the record numbers.

"Everybody bets on the Super Bowl," said Stoneback. Betters like Packers fan Rex Christopher, "put a little money on a long shot and it's kind of like playing the lottery."

Many better place money on which team will win and by how much, but what draws the novice betters are proposition bets. The Mirage posted 200 proposition bets Sunday. One example, how many completions Peyton Manning will have, "if the game is a blowout, you still have something to root for, will Peyton Manning have 20 completions?" said Stoneback.

The prop bet craze started all the way back in 1985 with the Chicago  Bears, "a place in town put a bet on Refrigerator Perry and was he going to score a touchdown, and that was the genesis of props," said Stoneback.

Rex Christopher says he's putting his money on Peyton Manning, "I gotta go for the Broncos."

But most of the betting public favors the Carolina Panthers meaning the Mirage would stand to lose a lot of money if the Panthers win, "almost two to one favoring Carolina, meaning we would really need the Broncos to win," said Stoneback.

If you want to be the person in charge of creating bets, the best thing to do is start in the book writing tickets and work your way up.

Share this article: