NFL-Sportsbooks flying with Eagles in Super Bowl, not Swift and Chiefs

By Frank Pingue Feb 8 (Reuters) - Taylor Swift may have her legion of fans rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl but the global pop star will not be able to sway the sportsbooks who stand to make more money if the Philadelphia Eagles prevail. Kansas City, whose fan base has grown significantly since Swift starting dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, are 1-1⁄2-point favorites to beat the Eagles in New Orleans and claim an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title. According to online sportsbook BetMGM, 54% of the bets and 43% of the money is on the Chiefs covering the spread. When it comes to the moneyline – picking the outright winner – 63% of bets and 62% of money is backing the Eagles. But since so much money during the NFL season was placed on the Chiefs and since-eliminated teams like the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens to win the Super Bowl, an Eagles victory would be the most lucrative outcome for sportsbooks. “We have such a good outcome on them from a futures market,” John Ewing, BetMGM’s PR Manager of Media Insights, told Reuters. “There was just a lot of action on the Bills, Ravens and the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl throughout the season that the Eagles actually became one of our best possible teams to win.” The Super Bowl creates an annual betting bonanza in the United States and Sunday’s edition is no exception with the American Gaming Association expecting a record $1.39 billion to be legally wagered on the NFL’s championship game. Chris Bennett, sportsbook director for Circa Sports, said there is less excitement than normal from bettors given the game is a rematch of the February 2023 Super Bowl and the Chiefs are in the title match for a fifth time in six years. “I don’t think it’s an exciting matchup,” said Bennett. “It’s a very even matchup as it was two years ago … so we might see a lot of action in the hours before kickoff but to this point we are not really seeing anything remarkable.” Aside from more traditional bets, gamblers can take a chance at proposition bets, like deciding which team will score first and what color liquid will be poured on the winning coach. BetOnline.ag even has prop bets involving U.S. President Donald Trump, who is set to become the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl. Among the Trump-related bets offered by BetOnline.ag are how many times the president will be shown live during the Super Bowl and whether his approval rating on Monday is higher than the game’s total score. There are also Swift-related bets given the “Cruel Summer” singer’s allegiance to the Chiefs. The 89 wide-ranging Swift-related Super Bowl prop bets being offered by BetOnline.ag include whether Kelce proposes to Swift on the field, if the celebrity couple are shown kissing on the field and if Swift dons a championship hat or shirt.