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How to Bet on the Super Bowl in Illinois
Sports betting has been legal in Illinois since March 2020, meaning Illinois residents are among those who can bet on the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl LVII figures to be the single most bet-on event of the year, presenting an excellent opportunity for sports bettors in the Prairie State to win big.
Here is a closer look at Super Bowl betting in Illinois.
Super Bowl Betting Options in Illinois
Latest Super Bowl Odds
History of the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl
The Chicago Bears are proud owners of eight NFL championships that predate the Super Bowl era, but they’ve only won a single Super Bowl in franchise history – courtesy of their infamous 1985 team.
They’ve appeared in only one other Super Bowl otherwise, which they lost to the Colts at the end of the 2006 season.
As one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, the Bears will hope to return to glory in the coming seasons. Could we see them in the big game soon?
Super Bowl Betting Lines
Super Bowl betting in Illinois presents customers with all manner of wagering options.
The most common NFL bets are:
- Moneylines (which team will win)
- Spreads (which team will cover)
- Totals. (how many points will be scored in the game)
Bettors will also have access to plenty of prop bets on the game, including individual player props and game-specific props.
Game Lines
The moneyline is the easiest to grasp. Odds are set based on a team’s perceived likelihood of winning the game. You bet on who you think will win, with less favorable payouts for favorites and more favorable for underdogs.
Point spreads identify the most likely margin of victory for the favored team. For example, if the Chicago Bears are expected to beat the Detroit Lions by a touchdown, the spread would look like this:
- Chicago Bears (-7)
- Detroit Lions (+7)
In this example, your bet would payout if the Bears won by eight or more points and lose if they lost the game outright or failed to win by more than six points. If the number landed on seven exactly, it would be a push, and the initial stake would be returned.
Point totals are only concerned with the total points scored between the two sides. Bettors can bet the over if they believe the teams will score more than the set total or the under if they believe the teams will score less.
The line might look something like this:
- Over 52.5
- Under 52.5
Game/Player Props
Prop bets are simple but more specific bets than game lines, usually on whether individual players or teams hit specific milestones during the game.
Player props might include:
- Justin Fields over 200 passing yards
- Justin Fields to throw for over 1.5 Touchdown passes
Game props might include:
- Bears to score first
- Bears to have at least one interception
Novelty Props
The Super Bowl lends itself to several props that aren’t available for any other NFL game. Many have little to do with the game itself. Some popular novelty props include:
- The Coin toss (heads or tails)
- Will the announcers mention gambling odds during the broadcast?
- Which celebrities will be shown in the crowd?
How Do I Make a Bet in Illinois?
The process for betting on the Super Bowl in Illinois is quick and simple
Download a sports betting app (DraftKings, BetMGM, PointsBet etc.)
- Register for a new account
- Make your first deposit
- Claim your welcome bonus
Many online sportsbooks offer incentives for first-time bettors, including bonus bets upfront or as a consolation prize in the form of bet credit if your first bet doesn’t win.
First-time bettors for the Super Bowl in Illinois should also know that they’ll need to share proof of identity and location – sportsbooks need to verify that bettors are in a legal betting area in order to place wagers.
