Super Bowl LXI: Betting Trends Favor Seahawks, Pose Risk for Sportsbooks
As Super Bowl LXI approaches, betting action is heavily skewed towards the Seattle Seahawks and their high-powered offense in their matchup against the New England Patriots.Despite a ancient trend of public bettors struggling to predict Super Bowl outcomes, a significant majority are backing Seattle to win and cover the 4.5-point spread.
Over the past two weeks, sportsbooks have reported overwhelmingly one-sided wagers on the Seahawks. At DraftKings Sportsbook, 60% of the money wagered on the point spread landed on Seattle. Moreover, a Seahawks victory has been the most frequently selected leg in parlay bets at Hard Rock Bet.
Individual player props are also reflecting this pro-Seahawks sentiment.Kenneth Walker III, Seattle’s running back, is seeing significant action on the over for his receiving yards prop (20.5 yards) at BetMGM. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the most popular player to score a touchdown and ranks second in bets for MVP odds, trailing only Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. Actually, Smith-Njigba and Darnold together account for 40% of the money wagered on DraftKings MVP odds as of Sunday morning.
This heavy action presents a potential financial risk for sportsbooks. According to BetMGM senior trading manager Christian Cipollini, “The Patriots winning in a low-scoring game would be the best outcome for the sportsbook.” He also noted that underperformance of players like Smith-Njigba, Walker, and Drake Maye on their individual props would be beneficial for the books.
Historically, Nevada sportsbooks have only experienced net losses on the Super Bowl twice since 1991: in 2008 when the New York Giants upset the Patriots, and in 1995 when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers. In all other years, the house has profited, including a record $22.1 million profit last year.
Nevada sportsbooks enjoyed a record-breaking football year in 2025, generating over $203 million in wagers. However, the current betting trends for Super Bowl LXI suggest that this year could present a challenge to maintaining that winning streak.
Keywords: Super Bowl LXI, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, NFL betting, sports betting, point spread, player props, Sam Darnold, Kenneth Walker III, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Drake Maye, DraftKings, BetMGM, Hard Rock Bet, Nevada sportsbooks, Super Bowl odds, NFL gambling.
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