Given how big Super Bowl Sunday is as a betting day (the biggest), I thought it was worth shooting some video to not only look at the 49ers-Ravens spread, but also to take a brief look back at some of the crazier moments in Super Bowl gambling history.
The front page promo headline and the picture are in reference to one such event. That would be Christina Aguilera's ill-fated National Anthem performance at Super Bowl XLV. Betting the over/under on the length of the National Anthem performance has become a fairly popular prop bet, and Super Bowl XLV featured an amazing error.
The over/under on the Anthem was 1:54. I decided to get in on the action as that seemed pretty easy. I did a little YouTube research and 1:54 seemed like a do-able number. Aguilera was on pace for close to a two minute anthem when she suddenly skipped a sentence and flubbed some words. It was not pretty, as she came in at approximately 1:53. Some online sports books refunded the bet, others did not. Mine was one that chose not to, and I was not pleased.
The video also features a look at the worst day for casinos in Super Bowl history, one of the biggest payouts ever featured in the 49ers Super Bowl XXIII win over the Bengals, and a crazy wager by Phil Mickelson. Give it a look!