If there’s one thing that the NFL seems to want to distance itself from more than anything else, it’s gambling. They aren’t too concerned with criminal activities, gun play, steroids, or debilitating head injuries but gambling is the root of all evil as far as the NFL is concerned. So it comes as a great irony that more money is bet on NFL games than any other sport in the world. Naturally, the most money gets dropped on the Super Bowl. But it’s the the spread or the over/under that gets the biggest increase in the action. It’s all the ridiculous prop bets that make Super Bowl gambling such a big deal. You can bet on all sorts of ridiculous things from what side of the coin comes up during the coin toss to the first song that The Who play at halftime. So here are my 10 favourites prop bets available and what I’m putting my money on.

Result of the coin toss?
Heads -105
Tails -105
I’ll take the heads on this one. Stats show that between 55% and 60% of coin tosses come up heads. The line might not show the advantage but real world studies by people with way too much time on their hands show otherwise.

The first play from scrimmage will be a what?
Pass -200
Run +160
There’s a reason why a pass is favoured. You’ve got two great quarterbacks under centre. They don’t even have to complete the pass for you to win on this bet. The return might be better on the run but I think the risk/return isn’t good enough to go run.

Will the team that scores first win the game?
Yes -180
No +150
With two high powered offenses, any bet here will be an uneducated guess. You have to take the mental factor into account here. If you fall behind early, that puts pressure on you to not let the opposition get too far in front. But I think that the No is how I would go.

What will the first score of the game be?
Touchdown -205
Field goal or safety +165
This comes back to the high powered offenses thing again. It’s easy to think that Brees or Manning could pick apart the opposing secondary all the way to the endzone. But I think that the philosophy of points are points is underrated. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an early drive fall short and that team take the easy three. I like the Field Goal on this one.

Who will call the first timeout?
New Orleans -115
Indianapolis -115
The odds are even but I don’t think that it’s a pick ’em. We’re likely to see the first timeout called by the offense when the quarterback doesn’t like what he’s seeing from the defence. Peyton is far better at making changes at the line than Brees so I like the Saints to call the first timeout.

Will there be a successful 2-point conversion attempt?
Yes +350
No -500
The odds given are long that there will be a successful 2-point convert but I think that’s more because that it’s not likely that there will be an attempt. The odds are in favour of the team that makes the attempt so if someone goes for two, the chances are in your favour that it pays out. If the game is close, and with Dwight Freeney out, it just might be, then an attempt is likely and so is a successful attempt. I’m taking the yes on this one.

Total number of interceptions made by both teams?
Over 2.5 +160
Under 2.5 -200
I know we’ve got two of the best quarterbacks in the league playing but what are the chances that there are less than three picks? There will be at least one pick tossed by each QB. All you need is one more by one man. It’s bound to happen at some point so I’m taking the over.

Which way will the first missed field goal be?
Wide Left -120
Wide Right -110
I love this one. After all the kickers cracking during the post-season, it’s ironically appropriate. Also, you don’t lose your money if all field goals are hit or are short. I think I’ll flip a coin on this one but I’d figure wide left. I’ve never kicked before but I have to assume that it’s easier to pull one than push one so I’d go with left.

How many times will Pete Townshend do the windmill?
Over 5.5 -170
Under 5.5 +140
This could be another pick ’em. With all the hard rock that The Who does and given the rumoured song set, there will be a lot of windmilling opportunities for Pete. Given that this will be a huge show, he’ll probably bust out a few classic moves for the worldwide audience. I almost want to say under but he’ll probably do more.

If the Saints win, will Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian be engaged by the end of July?
Yes +140
No -170
Well, the rumour is that Reggie will propose if the Saints win the Super Bowl. And where there’s smoke, there’s fire. There’s only action if there the Saints win so you can put you money down and not lose a thing when the Colts win. But since I’m taking a guess for my own self-amusement (as most of our posts are), I’m guessing no. Now, if there was a sex tape prop bet.

Note: All bets and lines from Bodog.

Disclaimer: The author of this post has never spent a dime on sports betting before in his life. The notes in this post are opinions expressed by the author and are in no way actual gambling advice. This post is for entertainment and page view generating purposes only. Basically, if you follow any of the author’s intuitions, you do so at your own peril and are more than likely to lose money. You should read this article about online gambling before you actually decide to put any money down.