Sparks fly for NH sports gamblers — and Swifties — ahead of Super Bowl LVIII

Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl, the majority of New Hampshire’s sports gamblers are placing their money on star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs over the Brock Purdy-led San Francisco 49ers.

Nearly 72% of wagers placed by New Hampshire gamblers as of Thursday were favoring the Chiefs, who are two-point underdogs as of Friday morning, according to DraftKings.

In total, $1.6 million has been wagered on the game so far through DraftKings, which enjoys a monopoly on gambling in New Hampshire.

“The Super Bowl is the perfect opportunity to explore the world of sports betting — there are so many fun ways to get a little skin in the game,” said New Hampshire Lottery’s executive director Charlie McIntyre. “Together with DraftKings, we are building strong betting momentum and we are expecting heavy betting throughout the weekend and right through the game on Sunday.”

Capitalizing on the reputation of the, ahem, new romantics, DraftKings has rolled out a number of Taylor Swift-related bets. (Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as you may have heard.)

Swifties can make a “Déjà vu” wager, which would pay off if the Chiefs win by 11 points against the 49ers, as they did in Super Bowl LV. If the 1989 era is more your thing, there is a “Shake it off” wager, which pays off if the 49ers score the first touchdown of the game, but the Chiefs ultimately prevail.

The “Today is a Fairytale” wager, meanwhile, will pay a nice dividend if Kelce scores a touchdown and the Chiefs prevail.

Last year, when the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, New Hampshire gamblers laid down more than $9.2 million in total wagers.

DraftKings and the state share proceeds on sports wagering, with the Lottery using profits to fund public education.

Super Bowl LVIII will kick off at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday from Las Vegas.