Winners Club: Betting Preview and Picks for Super Bowl LVI

With the growth of legalized gambling nationwide, a record-breaking number of bettors are expected to wager on the Super Bowl between the Rams and Bengals.

Super Bowl Sunday is inching closer and closer. Have you placed a bet on the Rams-Bengals game yet?

A record-breaking number of people are expected to do so—31.4 million, approximately. Legalized sports gambling is spreading and as the number of people betting increases, so too does the total amount those millions are wagering. That number is expected to eclipse $7 billion. Jen Piacenti has the details on the expected record-breaking Super Bowl betting market.

Keep reading for Super Bowl picks, news, promos and more.

Betting Picks

Super Bowl LVI Preview

Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

The Bengals defeated the Chiefs to get to this point, surprising pretty much everyone outside of Cincinnati and maybe Baton Rouge, and even some diehard fans. Meanwhile, the Rams vanquished the 49ers to find their way back to the Super Bowl, this time in their home stadium. The line—Rams -4.5—has held relatively steady since opening, though the total has dropped to 48. So, who should you pick? Read the betting preview for the strengths and weaknesses of each club and the ATS and O/U pick.

Novelty Best Bets: Picks for the actual game are fun and all, but when else can you bet on things like the length of the national anthem? Or the length of a single word in the national anthem? How about the coin toss? Our writers made their picks for novelty Super Bowl bets with detailed explanations.

Super Bowl MVP: Matthew Stafford is understandably the favorite to win Most Valuable Player on Sunday. He quarterbacks the Rams, who are favored to win. But our analysts are fading him in favor of defensive players, receivers and even a kicker. Find out who our writers are picking to bring home the hardware and why.

Bank on the Bengals on the Moneyline? Get the latest odds on SI Sportsbook

Favorite Super Bowl Bet: Matt Ehalt wrote about his favorite bet back in December—first Super Bowl score. He tells the story of his successful Super Bowl LV pick on an otherwise unsuccessful evening.

Betting News

Majority of Bettors Backing Bengals

Eric Gay/AP

More than half of all bets on SI Sportsbook have been placed on Cincinnati to win the Super Bowl, and the vast majority of the money flowing in is on Joe Burrow’s team to emerge victorious. The Rams are favored by 4.5 points, but the Bengals are no stranger to being the underdog.

A Juiced Ja’Marr Chase Bet: Cincinnati’s rookie receiver is known for his record-breaking receiving numbers, but there’s some momentum behind him gaining just a few rushing yards in the big game and cashing on his prop.

Why Big Money is Fading Van Jefferson: The Rams’ second-year receiver has taken a backseat to Odell Beckham Jr. and, of course, Cooper Kupp in L.A.’s offense. So why are Jefferson’s Super Bowl props set so low and why do they continue to drop?

Mattress Mack Bets $4.5 Million on Bengals: Jim McIngvale, better known by his alias Mattress Mack and well-known for his sizable sports wagers, placed a massive bet on Cincinnati to complete its miracle season.

Get your FREE bet for the Big Game on SI Sportsbook

C.J. Uzomah “Not Missing” Super Bowl: The Bengals tight end said on Monday he’s not missing the biggest game of his life after spraining his MCL in the AFC Championship Game. Uzomah has been one of Burrow’s top targets this season.

Bills, Chiefs Early 2023 Super Bowl Favorites: A pair of AFC teams that failed to make it to the game’s biggest stage this season have the best odds to make it there next season on SI Sportsbook. The Rams and Bengals are just behind them at No. 3 and 4, respectively.

Essential Reading

How the Super Bowl Could Be Lost

Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Conor Orr and Gary Gramling spoke about how each team could lose on Sunday on the MMQB podcast. A lot of that discussion involves Burrow’s individual greatness and the Rams’ shortcomings beyond their concentration of star talent.

Eric Weddle’s Return to the Field: About a week before the Wild Card Round, Weddle got a call from Raheem Morris recruiting his services for the Rams secondary. Now he’s in the Super Bowl. Greg Bishop chronicled the formerly retired safety’s return to football.

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Thank you for reading Winners Club. I’ll be back in your inbox Friday morning to continue Super Bowl Week coverage. Until then, keep up to date with our coverage on si.com/betting and si.com/fantasy and visit si.com/sportsbook for all of your betting needs.