Super Bowl National Anthem Length: Jon Batiste Scheduled to Perform in NOLA

Last year saw country icon Reba McEntire clock in at Over 90 seconds, eclipsing her total of 89.5 seconds. Super Bowl national anthem betting is one of the first Super Bowl prop bets to cash in on, with oddsmakers usually setting an Over/Under well in advance of the big game. 

Super Bowl national anthem length odds

Now that we know Jon Batiste is singing the anthem for Super Bowl 59, sportsbooks should soon release what they think the total time of the performance of the national anthem will be and assign odds to the Over and the Under.

Last year's total opened at 84.5, before being moved all the way to 89.5 by kickoff! On top of the popular Over/Under length of the national anthem odds, sportsbooks release other markets based on the anthem performance and the broadcast.

Examples include the player and or coach to be shown first during the performance to the color and makeup of the performer's attire.

How long will the national anthem take to sing?

The length of the national anthem performance at the Super Bowl depends on the performer, but a myriad of other factors play into it, such as special effects, broadcast considerations, and, of course, the fighter jet flyovers!

In 2023, Chris Stapleton's "The Star-Spangled Banner" performance clocked in at 121 seconds. Hitting the Under for early betters and the Over for later bettors who jumped on 120.5. In fact, the previous three Super Bowls have featured country singers, and their performances have averaged about 123 seconds, or two minutes and three seconds. Reba's opening odds for Super Bowl 58 had her at just 84.5 seconds, but bettors quickly pushed the Over up to 87.5 seconds the same day.

Where can you bet on the Super Bowl national anthem?

Betting on the Super Bowl national anthem is not an option on regulated sportsbooks in the United States in states where sports betting is legal. It is, however, available at regulated sportsbooks in Ontario and the rest of Canada. Make sure you check out our list of the best Super Bowl betting sites before making your wagers.

When it comes to these non-game-related Super Bowl betting markets, gaming regulators don’t want to expose themselves to any market that is predetermined or could be leaked ahead of time for the benefit of bettors in the know. As an example, the national anthem rehearsal from two years ago was recorded and posted online, giving bettors the exact time for the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

Anthem leaks

When it comes to Super Bowl national anthem betting, there are two ways to gain an advantage. You pore over old YouTube videos, trying to figure out the speed at which it'll be sung. Or, you simply wait until the rehearsal time gets leaked.

Last year, Warren Sharp released the anthem length as a paid pick to his subscribers. This raised a few eyebrows because Sharp was working with NBC, which was the network that was broadcasting the Big Game. Three years ago, with the outdoor stadium in Tampa Bay, a local reporter stood outside the stadium and timed the rehearsal length — then posted it on Twitter for all to see!

The rehearsal video was spot on, with the actual performance landing at about 2:16 and Eric Church singing first.

Do sportsbooks pay out after a leak?

Generally, yes. However, some sportsbooks are starting to include disclaimers on markets like this that a bet placed after the "result becomes public information" will be voided. Whether a leaked anthem time is considered public information is a bit unclear, but it seems this disclaimer would give them the option of voiding bets made after the leak.

Super Bowl national anthem prop betting explained

Betting on the Super Bowl national anthem is one of the many novelty prop markets available for the annual NFL championship that isn’t connected to the outcome of the actual game. The singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" takes place before the coin toss and has become one of the most popular Super Bowl prop bets at online sportsbooks.

Super Bowl national anthem prop bets have grown in popularity over the past decade, especially because this market doesn’t directly involve the game and has a fun crossover into pop culture that appeals to even the most casual viewer.

The most popular market is betting the Over/Under on the length of time it takes to complete the anthem, but there will also be markets about what the singer(s) will be wearing and if they will make a mistake during their rendition.

How to bet on the Super Bowl national anthem

Along with other Super Bowl odds, it's important to learn how to bet on Super Bowl prop markets. Betting on the Super Bowl national anthem all depends on the performer named to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." From there, oddsmakers can have a lot of fun creating some unique and entertaining national anthem props.

Length of national anthem prop

The most common way to bet on the Super Bowl national anthem is the national anthem length. Oddsmakers will set an Over/Under total in time (minutes and seconds), and bettors can pick whether the anthem will go Over or Under the set time total.

Most anthem singers have performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at previous events and games, and many of those renditions are available to watch online on platforms like YouTube. Once the Over/Under time total is set, plenty of Super Bowl bettors flock to those clips to help handicap the singer’s style and the average time needed to belt out the anthem.

Other national anthem prop bets

Besides betting on the length of "The Star-Spangled Banner," there are other Super Bowl national anthem props available: 

• The color of the performer’s hair
• Will the performer wear a hat?
• The color/style of performers' outfit and shoes
• Will the performer make a mistake?
• Will a scoring drive take less time than the length of the national anthem? 

However, these other props are not nearly as popular and won’t be offered at all betting sites.

National anthem length Over/Under odds 

The national anthem length odds usually come out two weeks prior to the Super Bowl, shortly after the performer of "The Star-Spangled Banner" is announced.

The Over/Under time and attached vig/juice will vary from book to book, so if you have multiple sportsbook options, you can shop around for the best total price to fit your prediction. Like most Over/Under bets, books will display the total and the Over and Under will have vig/juice attached to each side.

For example, the Over/Under for the Super Bowl LIV national anthem was 1 minute and 56 seconds (116 seconds) with an opening vig of -115 per side. That means for every $10 you want to win, you need to risk $11.50 ($115 to win $100).

However, as more money was bet on the Over heading into Super Sunday, bookmakers adjusted the vig on the national anthem odds to Over 116 seconds (-140) and Under 116 seconds (+110). Oddsmakers did this to draw more money to the Under. That adjustment meant that for every $10 you wanted to win betting the Over, you would need to bet $14. And for every $10 risked on the Under, you could win $11 ($100 wins $110).

Popstar Demi Lovato performed the national anthem at Super Bowl LIV and took 1 minute and 49 seconds to complete it (109 seconds), so those that bet on the Under won their prop wager.

Can you legally bet on the national anthem?

Betting on the Super Bowl national anthem is not an option on regulated sportsbooks in states where sports betting is legal. Only Super Bowl betting sites and sportsbooks outside of the United States can offer national anthem props for the Super Bowl. 

Land-based operators within the U.S., like sportsbooks located in Las Vegas, are not allowed to offer props on the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner because there’s no official timing provided and all grading would be subjective to the bookmaker. 

Gaming control boards and regulatory commissions are hesitant to offer betting markets on events that can’t be defined in the box score of the Super Bowl, as they are vulnerable to conflicts in results and decisions.

However, some states have softened their stance on these novelty prop markets in recent years. New Jersey sportsbooks are allowed to offer betting on the color of the Gatorade bath and Super Bowl MVP odds have been available in Nevada since 2016.

History of national anthem betting at Super Bowl

The explosion in online sports betting in the late 1990s got the ball rolling on novelty Super Bowl props. While casinos in Las Vegas couldn’t offer action on the length of the national anthem (restricted by state gaming control board rules), online bookies could and jumped at the opportunity to take wagers on this fun pop culture-powered prop.

Average Super Bowl national anthem time

Going back to Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, the average length of the national anthem is 115.4 seconds (one minute and 55 seconds) over the past 31 Big Game renditions. Only 11 of those anthems went longer than two minutes. However, six of those have come in the past 10 Super Bowls.

Longest Super Bowl National Anthem

The longest amount of time needed to sing the Star-Spangled Banner in that span was two minutes and 35 seconds by Alicia Keys at Super Bowl XLVII in 2009, while the quickest anthem time since Super Bowl 25 was 1 minute and 30 seconds by Billy Joel at Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Since 2020, the average length of the anthem performance has been 119.5 seconds.

List of Super Bowl national anthem lengths

In terms of betting on the national anthem, the most memorable — and controversial — singing of the Star-Spangled Banner was by pop star Christina Aguilera at Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

Not only did Aguilera mess up the words to the national anthem but she added a “Woo” at the end of the song, which had different sportsbooks grading the length at various times: some including the “Woo” and others not. Anthem bettors that lost their prop bet based on those decisions were unhappy, and many online books made the call to pay out bets on both the Over and Under to avoid further outrage and bad press.

Super Bowl national anthem FAQs

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