Super Bowl 2013: Prop bets draw casual gambler, hard-core interest

Super Bowl XLVII will be watched by more than 100 million people and it’s likely more than $100 million will be wagered on the outcome of the game, but proposition bets will take center stage for many fans, casual and hard-core, watching the game Sunday between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.

Prop bets, as they are known, are put on the board by various sports books. They entice people to put more money down on the game and, let’s face it, make the contest a lot more interesting. The bets even include the performers such as Beyonce, who is performing at halftime, and Alicia Keys, who is singing the national anthem.

There’s your standard fare, such as who will catch the first pass, who will score the first touchdown and who will have the first fumble. Very standard stuff.

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Then there’s the more unusual, such as will Beyonce’s hair be straight or crimped, will Keys forget a word when signing the national anthem or will Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, the parents of coaching brothers Jim and John, wear clothing with logos for either the 49ers or Ravens.

Wait, it gets better than that.

There are prop bets such as what will be the highest rate of tweets per second (over/under set at 17,000); how many times retiring Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis , if he is is interviewed after the game, will say God/Lord (over/under 3 times); and who President Obama will pick to win the game.

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