COLUMBUS, Ohio — Odds are Ohioans will be placing some sort of wager on Super Bowl LVII. The American Gaming Association says Americans are expected to wager an estimated $16 billion on Sunday’s game.
A record number of American adults, 50.4 million, will be putting money down.
Although sports gambling is now legal in Ohio, there are bets that are off the table this weekend.
Here is what you can gamble on:
- The actual game
- Moneyline
- Spread
- Over/under
- Prop bets: which team will score first or which player will score etc.
Now, here is what you can't gamble on in Ohio:
- Commercials
- Coin toss
- Length of the National Anthem
- The color of the liquid dumped on the winning coach at the end
- The celebrities will be shown on television during the broadcast
- What song Rihanna is opening with or anything related to the halftime show
Here’s the reason why:
“Somebody knows what color that Gatorade is, and that can pose problems,” said Jessica Franks, the communications director at the Ohio Casino Control Commission. “That calls into question the integrity of the wager.”
Franks says it may be allowed in other states and jurisdictions, but sportsbooks operating in Ohio were notified in advance it is not allowed in the Buckeye State.
“They have to be based on the field of play the performance of an athlete. We've just issued guidance that says things like this, that is a random determination or involve nonathletic performance, we're just not going to approve those,” said Franks.