Sarni's Scrolls: Who Do Ya Got: Chiefs or 49ers?

Record 68 million Americans will bet on the Super Bowl... and they're nearly evenly split

I bet you've got a Super Bowl bet.

The odds are good.

Nearly 68 million American adults — about 1 in 4 — plan to bet on this year's big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, setting a record by a wide margin, according to the gambling industry's national trade association.

Figures released Tuesday by the American Gaming Association include bets placed with legal outlets, as well as with illegal bookies and online operations in other countries.

The volume of betting participation is projected to be 35% higher than last year, when the previous record was set.

Bettors plan to wager an estimated $23.1 billion on this year's Super Bowl, up from $16 billion last year, the group predicted.

"There's a good chance that every Super Bowl for the next ten or so years will be the most bet Super Bowl thanks to the underlying growth of regulated sports betting in the U.S.," gambling analyst Chris Grove, a partner at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming told the AP.

A Gaming Association survey says bettors are nearly split on the outcome of the game, with 47% planning to bet on the Chiefs and 44% planning to wager on the 49ers.

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Variety lists 10 Taylor Swift-Super Bowl prop bets:

■ Will Travis Kelce propose to Taylor Swift on field after the game? (Yes +1060; No -3000/FanDuel Canada)

■ Will Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announce their first pregnancy at the Super Bowl? (Yes, +850/BetUs)

■ Will Taylor Swift be seen crying if Kansas City Chiefs lose Super Bowl LVIII? (Yes, +600/BetUS)

■ Will Taylor Swift endorse Joe Biden after game? (+1000/BetOnline)

■ Will Donald Trump mention Swift on Truth Social Feb. 11? (No, -500; Yes, +300/BetOnline)

■ How many times will Taylor Swift be shown on camera during the CBS Super Bowl telecast? (Over 5.5 times, -140; Less than 5.5 times, even/BetUS)

■ Will Taylor Swift be seen mouthing a curse word during the CBS Super Bowl telecast? (Yes, +300/BetUS)

■ Will Taylor Swift’s navel be shown on CBS? (Yes, +800; No, -2500/BetOnline)

■ Taylor Swift lipstick color at Super Bowl LVIII? (Red, -1800; Any other color, +700/BetUS)

■ Which will have more diamond carats? (Taylor Swift engagement ring, -10000; Chiefs Super Bowl ring, +1400/BetOnline)

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Howard Stern suggested Taylor Swift should rig a prop bet about who will sit directly next to the pop star at the Super Bowl.

“Couldn’t Taylor Swift make another billion dollars if she bets on who she’s going to be sitting next to and then she brings that person?” Stern asked as he and his “Howard Stern Show” executive producer Jon Hein discussed all the potential opportunities to cash in on Swift’s attendance at the game Sunday.

"Yeah, that’s what I would do.”

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Prop bets on Usher's halftime show:

Number of songs performed at halftime

FanDuel (song must be played for a minimum of 10 seconds)

■ Over 8.5 songs: -125

■ Under 8.5 songs: -125

Who will be a guest performer

FanDuel (All bets action. Must appear on stage with a microphone)

■ Alicia Keys: -330

■ Ludacris: -250

■ Lil Jon: -105

■ will.i.am: +220

■ Nicki Minaj: +280

■ Sean Diddy: +350

■ Pitbull: +390

■ Justin Bieber: +450

■ Lil Wayne: +500

■ Taylor Swift: +500

■ David Guetta: +575

■ Marshmello: +575

■ 21 Savage: +650

■ 50 Cent: +800

■ DJ Khaled: +800

■ Jay Z: +800

■ Beyonce: +900

■ Miley Cyrus: +1200

■Madonna: +1300

The first song performed

BetMGM

■ "Yeah!" +225

■ "My Way" +225

■ "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" +500

■ "Love in This Club" +600

■ "OMG" +800

■ "Boyfriend" +1100

■ "Superstar" +1100

■ "Burn" +1200

■ "Good Good" +1800

■ "My Boo" +2000

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Brazil is ready for some football.

The NFL will play its first regular-season game in the South American country on Friday, Sept. 6 with the Philadelphia Eagles as the host team.

It’ll be the first time in 54 years the NFL has played a game on Friday night of its opening weekend. The Los Angeles Rams hosted the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, Sept. 18, 1970.

Five regular-season games will be played internationally in 2024.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will host games featuring the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings. The Jacksonville Jaguars will return to Wembley Stadium as part of their multiyear commitment to playing in Britain.

The Carolina Panthers will play in Munich, Germany at Allianz Arena — home of Bayern Munich.

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Naturally, Taylor Swift was among the subjects of NFL Commissioner's Roger Goodell's Super Bowl press conference on Monday.

And guess what... Goodell, his wife and their 22-year-old twin daughters have been Swifties since attending one of her concerts.

 Goodell welcomes her interest in the NFL and the attention it brings her fans.

The commissioner brushed aside the conspiracy theory that Swift’s relationship with Kelce is scripted.

“I couldn’t have scripted that one,” Goodell said, calling that talk “nonsense.”

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ETC.

■ The Golden Knights ended the Edmonton Oilers' 16-game winning streak -- one shy of tying the NHL record -- with a 3-1 win in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

■ Inter Miami lost to Vissel Kobe 4-3 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in Tokyo on Wednesday. Messi did not take a PK.

■ Good news for sports viewers. ESPN, Fox and Warner are teaming up to create a sports streaming platform. The new service will be available as a stand-alone app, and to Hulu, Max and Disney+ subscribers as part of a bundle.

■ Saturday's Iowa-Maryland telecast drew 1.58 million viewers, the most-watched women's college basketball game in Fox Sports history. The "Caitlin Clark Cam" drew 800,000 views on Tik Tok.

■ African Cup of Nations semifinals on Wednesday: Nigeria vs. South Africa; Ivory Coast vs. DR Congo.

■ ESPN will televise the NFL Flag Championships from Canton, Ohio, July 19-21... There are 2.3 million Flag football players worldwide.

■ The Chicago Blackhawks will host the 2025 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Blues. 

■ There are 148 college football quarterbacks in the transfer portal.

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■ The Taylor Swift Effect. Beauty and health food brands are buying up ad spots for the Super Bowl -- a testament to football's growing popularity among women and young people.

■ The NBA will unveil an all-glass LED court for the upcoming All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. The social media announcement included a video mock-up of the court that promises to display design and color changes, live replay and video content, stats, animations and interactive games for fans during timeouts.

■ Boston University will meet Northeastern in Monday's Beanpot final.

■ Time's "The Closers -- 18 Black Leaders Working To End Racial Wealth Gap" article includes Brian Flores for his influence beyond the field and college athletes advocate Ramogi Huma.

■ Caitlin Clark-Travis Kelce prop bet: Clark's points vs. Nebraska (+3.5) vs. Kelce's first-half receiving yards in the Super Bowl.

■ Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion, will return to competition for the first time in nearly eight years at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 24. The 28-year-old said she will try to make the U.S. Olympic team.

■ How much is a "boatload of money"?

■ I remember watching the Chiefs in Super Bowl I.

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■ Usher, the Super Bowl's halftime act, is releasing his ninth studio album "Coming Home" two days before the game.

■ Great ratings for the Grammy Awards: 16.9 million, up 34%. Most-watched since 2020.

■ Looking for a new Super Bowl food? Chrissy Teigen's recipe for her cheesy mashed potato and chorizo dip is in People.

■ With hurricanes getting stronger, a Category 6 classification has been proposal... also, the Hurricane Center is working on creating a new Cone of Uncertainty that better shows the extent of hazards.

■ WalletHub's Most Sinful Cities in America: 1. Las Vegas, 2. Houston, 3. Philadelphia, 4. Los Angeles, 5. Atlanta, 6. Denver, 7. Dallas, 8. Phoenix, 9. Miami, 10. Cleveland.

■ TimeOut's sixth Coolest Neighborhoods in the World list ranks Laureles, the culturally rich Barrio in Medallin, Colombia as No. 1. No. 7 Mid-City, New Orleans is the only U.S. entry in the top 10.

■ The "Outlander" prequel series "Blood Of My Blood" has begun production.

■ Read: "Come and Get It" by Kiley Reid.

■ HBO will air this week's episode of "True Detective" on Friday at 9 p.m. ET to avoid the Super Bowl.

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THEY SAID IT

■ "There’s going to be some story, there’s gonna be something that happens because it’s Vegas and it won’t stay in Vegas. It’s gonna be a big something that happens. I don’t know what it is. I have no idea. I just think that is going to be a mess in my mind.” -- Joe Buck during a Monday appearance on “The Opening Drive” on 101 ESPN in St. Louis."

■ "I'm the NFL version of 'The Bachelorette' " -- "UnSportsmanLike's" Michelle Smallmon, telling Jonathan Zaslow on "Zaslow 2.0" that it’s time for her to pick a new favorite pro team to replace her hometown St. Louis Rams.