It’s that time of the year. The Super Bowl is this Sunday. Instead of watching hours of the pregame show, some football fans prefer to watch the Puppy Bowl. Those who want to bet on it in the United States legally are out of luck.
Team Fluff plays Team Ruff. At some offshore sportsbooks, you can bet on outcomes like which team Puppy Bowl teams, the gender of the MVP winner, the letter the MVP’s name starts with, and its age in weeks.
There are several reasons why US sportsbooks don’t accept these bets. Players should be thankful.
State regulators will not approve events like the Puppy Bowl for betting. The Colorado Division of Gaming states there are integrity concerns. That does not mean the puppies might cheat or take steroids. The Puppy Bowl is not a live event. It is produced. Scenes are cut. Not all the scores are shown. There is no official review of scores. There is no way to verify it.
The Puppy Bowl intends to raise awareness and increase adoptions. It is not a serious sporting event, as fun as it might be to cheer on a side.
I think the Puppy Bowl is a silly event and fun to watch. I admit that I have $5 on Team Ruff with a friend.
Many Other Super Bowl Prop Bets Are the Same Way
Other crazy prop bets are not available at legal US sportsbooks. Examples of this include how long the National Anthem takes to perform, what color the singer wears, how many times a famous person like Taylor Swift is shown, which song the halftime performer plays first, and what color of Gatorade is dumped on the winning coach.
Most states require there to be official stats to declare the winner of a bet. There is no way to verify how many seconds Taylor Swift was shown during the broadcast or if Usher shows a nipple at halftime.
Other exotic prop bets are not about sports, making them automatically against gaming regulations. Examples of this include how many times Donald Trump posts on Truth Social or the number of Patrick Mahomes passing yards against the electoral votes Joe Biden receives in the November 2024 election.
Colorado Publishes Rejected Bets
The Colorado Division of Gaming publishes all bet requests made by sportsbooks. It has one tab for accepted ones and another for bets it rejects. Here is a sample of the unapproved Super Bowl props in Colorado:
- Will a player raise a fist during the National Anthem?
- Will a player take a knee during the National Anthem?
- Will a coach wear a hat?
- Color of Gatorade poured on the winning coach
- Any coin toss props
- Puppy Bowl side and MVP winners
- Songs performed at halftime
- If a player gets ejected
- Types of penalties called
Most of these bets were rejected because they were based solely on chance. Some are for negative events like a player getting ejected. Some states permit coin toss bets. However, most of the other prop bets mentioned in the list above are not available at any legal US sportsbook.
The juice on exotic props is at least double straight bet
While some of these exotic prop bets are fun, there is a larger cost when putting down action on them. Most spreads are 30 or 40 points, as opposed to the normal 20 for a straight bet. This means an equal event is -115 or -120 on both sides. If there are more than two possible outcomes, like the color of the Gatorade, the juice gets even bigger. It is best to avoid prop bets unless you feel strongly that you have an edge.
The most important part is making the Super Bowl fun. Only bet what you can afford to lose. Sweating uncomfortable amounts can take away from the entertainment of the biggest sporting event of the year.
