Super Bowl Wagering Odds On Debi Lovato's National Anthem Performance

Odds say Debi Lovato will sing over at the Super Bowl national anthem

When Grammy Award-nominated performing artist Demi Lovato performs the Star Spangled Banner before Super Bowl LIV, the eyes of much of the nation will undoubtedly be upon her. For many though, their ears will be listening to Lovato but their eyes will be on their stopwatch. 

That stopwatch is, of course, to see how long Lovato sings the national anthem. According to BetOnline.AG, the over/under on the national anthem's length is 1 minute and 56 seconds.

The anthem has grown to be an increasingly popular wager in recent years, an exotic that even the non-football fan can get behind. Brendan Meehan of SportsBetting3.com reviewed Super Bowl national anthem performances from 2006 – 2019. He found trends that perhaps can point towards the performance this go-around. 

According to Meehan, female performers have sung over the sportsbook's line seven of the last 11 times whereas male performers have always sung under the line the last two times. Meehan also notes that odd of even years have no correlation to the length of the anthem performance. 

“My team and I discovered female performers usually sing over the sportsbook’s line. In fact, 7 of the past 11 anthems sung by women have been a payday for over bettors. Meanwhile, males have always gone under,” Meehan told SportsIllustrated.com.  

“Billy Joel finished his 2007 anthem in a speedy 1:30.” 

According to sports wagering analyst Ron Halfback of SportsBetting3, the prediction is that Lovato “will sing over the 2:00 line set by Bovada.” 

Despite this prediction, Meehan cautions those eager to automatically bet the over on Lovato. There is one factor at play here he says that could well impact the anthem’s performance length.  

“Keep tabs on Lovato’s health prior to kickoff. Historically, sick performers cut their anthems short,” Meehan said. “This happened in 2018 when Pink, stricken with the flu, delivered a shorter anthem than expected.”