Taylor Swift Might Encourage Increased Super Bowl Betting

Paresh Jadhav

11 months ago

Taylor Swift made headlines earlier this year after attending a Kansas City Chiefs game and leaving hand in hand with Travis Kelce, her Chiefs boyfriend and later partner. This couple has become the center of much interest, which could ultimately result in increased Super Bowl betting according to Morgan Stanley analyst Stephen Grambling.

Betting on events unrelated to the field of play is known as prop betting, and although most sportsbooks don’t typically provide this form of wager during regular seasons, they become popular at Super Bowl time (Feb 5th). Common examples include how long Reba McEntire will sing the national anthem or what color Gatorade will be dumped upon the winning coach; additionally there are Taylor Swift-themed wagers also available.

As expected, her presence will generate increased TV viewership and wagers, with many props focused on her appearance – for instance betting is available on whether she will wear red or black when disembarking from her plane in Las Vegas, with black generally the favorite choice. Other bets focus on what will happen after arriving – for instance attending post-game party events or visiting hospitals for example.

Grambling estimates that Taylor could attend the game itself or at least appear during its telecast and increase sportsbook revenues by 10%. While he doesn’t believe she will do so directly, her mere presence might increase sportsbook revenues by this amount.

The Super Bowl is a major event for all sportsbooks, and especially smaller ones without the resources to advertise widely or operate at scale. Online sportsbooks also find this event appealing as it can draw players from across the country while often being easier to operate within more restrictive states than traditional ones.

Though traditionally seen as the cornerstone of traditional sportsbooks, many online betting platforms have taken to offering multiple betting options and prop bets in addition to traditional NFL match-up betting options.

Props related to Taylor Swift may not be offered by every bookmaker, but most provide them in some form; DraftKings provides Taylor Swift-themed betting markets on its mobile app for US customers.

Betting opportunities available during Usher’s halftime performance and on the color of Gatorade that will be poured on the winning coach include wagers on backup dancer numbers and Gatorade pouring locations; most such bets cannot be placed at Nevada-licensed sportsbooks but rather can be made online. Wagers on how long the national anthem will play or whether Kelce will accept Swift’s marriage proposal are more enjoyable, yet bettors still make wagers to make the Super Bowl more interesting for fans of both teams – and to capture Swift’s female audience that has surged since she began dating Kelce.

If it happens, more betting may even happen around where and what type of proposal will happen! This requires much more money but makes the Super Bowl more entertaining overall, not to mention helping NFL try to gain the female viewership that Swift brought with her introduction – something it seems even NFL have tried hard with Swift since her relationship began!