Super Bowl futures wagers at Pennsylvania sportsbooks are a little like playing the lottery. The odds are pretty long that they’ll hit, but the payoffs can be big.
Having said that, a lottery ticket is purely a random chance. But an NFL futures bet, including the Super Bowl winner, can be seen as at least an informed lottery ticket. Part of the calculus is what odds the bettor is getting.
At the moment, the Pittsburgh Steelers are arguably one of the best bargains for a Super Bowl futures bet. The Steelers are 4-2 and tied for second place in the AFC North with Cleveland (4-2), just behind the Baltimore Ravens, who are 5-2 but also have a loss to Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers Futures Odds
Here’s where Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl odds get interesting. The odds of the Steelers winning the Super Bowl run from a low of +5000 (at BetMGM) to a high of +7500 (at PointsBet) among major oddsmakers. Most sportsbooks are offering odds at more than +6000. In terms of money, at PointsBet, a $100 bet would yield a $7,500 payoff if the Steelers win the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Other sites offer payoffs north of $6,000 on a $100 bet.
In contrast, the Ravens are just +1200 at BetMGM, and +1000 to +1400 at other books. That means the same $100 bet would win a payoff from just $1,000 to $1,400.
Using BetMGM Pennsylvania Sportsbook as the yardstick for odds, here’s how the other current 4-2 teams in the NFL stack up: Cleveland is +2500, meaning a $2,500 payoff on that $100 bet if they win the Super Bowl; Dallas, second in the NFC East, is +1000, yielding just $1000 on a $100 bet; and Seattle, second in the NFC West, is +3500, worth a $3,500 payoff on a $100 bet by winning the NFL title.
Steelers Postseason Odds Value
So for a $100 bet, it can very easily argued that the Steelers offer better Super Bowl odds than any other team that is off to a similar start. This is why it’s a good idea to shop around at various operators, not only for the best Pennsylvania sports betting promos but to get the most advantageous odds too.
Of course, part of handicapping is evaluating team talent as well as measuring the strength of the opposition. The Steelers are minus-24 in overall point-differential, meaning they have scored 24 fewer points overall than the opposition. That’s not a good sign even though Pittsburgh has a 4-2 record. In addition, Pittsburgh is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NFL averaging just over 17 points a game and quarterback Kenny Pickett has a pedestrian 81.3 passer rating.
However, the black and gold are also 4-2 against the spread, just as they are in the standings. That bodes well for the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff chances. And looking ahead, of Pittsburgh’s next nine games, only two are against opponents who currently have winning records.
As mentioned, Super Bowl futures wagers are akin to a lottery ticket with the odds normally stacked against the bettor. But drawing on the available data at the moment, the Steelers may offer by far the best value in what is often a longshot wager.
