Seahawks Dominate the Betting Markets Ahead of Super Bowl 2026

The Seattle Seahawks appear to be dominating the wagering landscape as the sports betting industry continues expanding into broader menus and prediction-style markets, with Super Bowl 2026 again anchoring nationwide betting activity. 

The American Gaming Association expects a record $1.76 billion to be wagered legally at the best sports betting sites on Sunday's game between the Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Early betting action has leaned heavily toward Seattle, which has held steady as a 4.5-point favorite for roughly ten days. 

Oddsmakers have not anticipated meaningful line movement despite consistent Seahawks support. One bettor placed $188,000 on the Seattle moneyline at -220, creating a potential profit of just over $85,000. 

Larger wagers have also emerged on New England, including a $1.1 million Patriots moneyline bet at +188 taken by Circa Sportsbook, which would return more than $2 million if it cashes. 

Most sportsbooks still expect the majority of wagers to arrive within 48 hours of kickoff.

Sportsbooks are also managing significant futures exposure tied to both teams' unlikely postseason paths. In August, a BetMGM customer wagered $50,000 on Seattle to win the Super Bowl at 60-to-1 odds, creating a potential $3 million payout. 

In November, another bettor placed $30,000 on the Patriots at 22-to-1 odds, which would return $660,000. Proposition bets continue to grow and could account for around 60% of total betting handle. 

Novelty markets remain central, including touchdown props tied to player size, traditional coin toss bets, and Gatorade color outcomes. Heads is the most popular coin toss wager at BetMGM, and green is the fourth most popular Gatorade bath wager. 

Player markets have also seen movement, with Smith-Njigba now the most popular first touchdown wager at DraftKings and BetMGM. The receiving and reception totals for several players have seen increases due to continued activity.

Announcer mention markets surge

As traditional betting markets continue to grow ahead of the game's kickoff, interest in wagering has begun to shift away from the field and towards the booth. Announcer mention markets have seen significant growth this season with the introduction of prediction platforms such as Kalshi. 

Over $47 million has so far flowed into the best prediction markets tied to NFL announcer mentions. Since September, per-game stakes have climbed over seven times, peaking at $3.55 million for the AFC and NFC title games, according to data.

During the recent AFC Championship Game, more than $400,000 hinged on whether a specific term would be used by the CBS broadcast team, a wager that ultimately resolved in favor of yes.

Last week, Kalshi introduced an announcer mention market featuring 34 possible phrases or terms for NBC broadcasters Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth. Polymarket has 27 possible phrases, ranging from player-related references to platform mentions.