Heads or Tails on Sunday’s Super Bowl? Not so fast my Massachusetts friends...
By a 3-2 vote early Wednesday afternoon, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) decided to not allow several coin toss related prop bets for Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The three opponents voted no in part because the issue was not brought up by operators with enough time to consider it. FanDuel Massachusetts had initially requested a clarification on possible pre-game Super Bowl prop bets and opted not to submit a formal application to allow coin toss (and other bets) for this year's Super Bowl but will look to revisit the topic next year. By the way, Super Bowl LIX will take place Feb. 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
During public meeting No. 498 last Thursday, the state’s sports wagering division sought clarification on which pre-game Super Bowl proposition wagers may be available for Massachusetts sportsbooks. Nine categories were discussed: coin toss result (heads/tails), coin toss winner, team to receive opening kickoff, coin toss winner wins game, to win coin toss and win game, coin toss to be re-taken, coin toss call result, Gatorade color over coach and National Anthem length.
At that time, the MGC determined it needed more information in order to rule.
Massachusetts Bettors Can’t Win on Toss
Fast forward to Wednesday’s public meeting No. 499 and in order to expedite the discussion, Commissioner Brad Hill brought up two motions to be voted upon.
The first was a listing of the nine proposed Super Bowl prop bets above and to vote on whether they were already part of the Massachusetts sportsbook apps event catalog. In a 5-0 vote, the MGC ruled none of them are.
The second motion was whether three of those props — Coin Toss Result, Coin Toss Winner and Coin Toss Winner Wins Game — could be allowed and offered as a separate event on the state’s sports catalog of wagers offered. That motion failed by a 3-2 vote.
“They’ve (the operators) known this was coming. They’ve been in business for a year and procedurally, trying to ignore rules here, would be bad law,” said Commissioner Eileen O'Brien regarding her no vote. “It's just not going to happen by the weekend.”
Super Bowl LVIII will take place on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas between the San Francisco 49ers and defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. ESPN BET Massachusetts lists the 49ers as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 47.5 total points.
