Who will win the opening coin toss for Super Bowl LVI? How long will the national anthem last? Which of the five artists performing at halftime will take the stage first? What color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning team’s coach?
These are some of the many bets that can be placed on Sunday’s big game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
“The Super Bowl is the flagship of gambling,” said Dr. Tim Fong, co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program.
While most game-day bets are just part of the fun, gambling can become a devastating addiction for some people.
With more ways to legally bet on the Super Bowl than ever before, and increasing acceptance — if not outright endorsement — of the practice by sports commentators and institutions including the NFL, it’s important to note that gambling isn’t harmless entertainment for everyone, Fong said.
“Nobody becomes ‘addicted’ from the very first time they take a substance or gamble, but it does raise concern about these men and women who are most vulnerable to develop an addiction,” he said. “Those are the ones that we want to make sure are either protected or well informed that what they’re doing could potentially be problematic.”
Read the full story about the Super Bowl and gambling.