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Super Bowl 2019: The Gladys Knight controversy, and how some of those funky prop bets worked out

Heads or tails? Last team to score? And how'd that million-dollar bet work out?

Gladys Knight sang the National Anthem in 2:01 ... or did she?
Gladys Knight sang the National Anthem in 2:01 ... or did she?Read moreTNS

ATLANTIC CITY — Gladys Knight dragged out the last word of the national anthem long enough to ignite a controversy. She initially finished at 1 minute, 49 seconds, but then repeated the last word, which brought the overs into play. Some lines out there were at or around 1:50-1:52. By repeating the last word, she finished it at 2:01. Yikes.

The national anthem prop bet wasn’t offered everywhere, but the bookies who did put a line on it had quite the headache. Offshore sportsbook BetOnline.ag threw up its hands and just paid both sides.

The coin toss was cheered as loudly as Tom Brady’s first interception or Greg Zuerlein’s missed kick at the end. Super Bowl prop bets. American insanity at its best. Here are how some of the most unusual turned out.

Parx/SugarHouse

  1. Will the game go into overtime (+900) … Nope.

  2. Will there be a successful coaches' challenge (yes +108; no -143)? … There were no challenges.

  3. First team to use replay challenge (either team -115) … There were no challenges.

  4. Will a quarterback catch a TD pass (yes only, +2000)? … Uh, no.

  5. Will either Tom Brady or Jared Goff throw for more than 373 yards (Nick Foles' number last year) (yes only, +200) … Brady had 262, Goff 229.

  6. Will a kick hit the upright or crossbar (yes +350; no -560)? … There were some shaky kicks, but none clanged.

  7. Total punts, 7.5 (over +100; under -134) … There were 14. This might have been the easiest play on the board.

  8. Total players to have a reception, 14.5 (over +130, under -175) … Ten guys caught a pass, 13 were targeted.

  9. New England to win exactly 20-17 (yes only, +10,000) … Horseshoes and hand grenades.

  10. Time the final play of the game is completed, 10:14.59 ET (earlier or later -115) … Finished earlier.

DraftKings

  1. Total points (odd -132, even +110) … 13-3 final.

  2. Fat man TD (offensive lineman to score +5000; offensive or defensive lineman +1400) … Only one TD scored and it wasn’t by a lineman.

  3. Tom Brady to retire postgame (yes, +1600; no -5000); Brady has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday. Note: similar props were offered for Rob Gronkowski (+390/-835) and Bill Belichick (+2500/-10,000) … Doubt Brady, but maybe Gronk.

  4. Color of the winning coach’s Gatorade shower: Clear/water (+200), Green (+300), Yellow (+300), Orange (+350), Blue (+500), Red (+700), Purple (+900), Any other (+500) … Blue paid 5-1.

  5. Jersey number of first touchdown, over 26.5 (-134), under 26.5 (+100) … Sony Michel, No. 26, scored the only TD. How good are these bookies?

  6. Game MVP … Hope you had Julian Edelman at 22-1.

From the windows

  1. Someone put $1.5 million on the Rams money line to win $1.8 million with William Hill sportsbooks in Nevada. This guy had $1 million on the Eagles money line for Supe 52 last year and won $1.65 million.

  2. Another put $2 million with MGM’s race & sports in Vegas on the Rams money line at +120, according to reporting by Gill Alexander, David Purdum and Patrick Everson

  3. William Hill’s longest Patriots odds were 10-1 at the end of September. The Rams opened at 20-1.

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