Demi Lovato must have FLOWN (like a bald eagle) through the national anthem during rehearsals for Super Bowl LIV. Sportsbook BetOnline just had to reopen its over/under line 9 full seconds below where it was prior to the singer’s practice round, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
Nine seconds is an eternity in the context of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
The over/under line originally opened at 1:56 (that’s one-minute, 56-seconds in length from the start of the Star-Spangled Banner vocals to the final note of her first “brave”). Shortly thereafter, the line rose to 2:01, and then again to 2:03. (“For the Record: The line made it back to 1:56 by Sunday afternoon.)
That means everyone was betting on Lovato to go long. Bad bet, as it turns out. After rehearsals took place, BetOnline reopened the line all the way down at one-minute, 52-seconds, where it stands now.
For those who placed a bet — over or under — at the previous lines, they’re locked in. Only horse-racing has moving odds. Good news for those who wagered on the under.
You can find plenty of other prop bets at BetOnline. Traditionally, the national anthem over/under and the result of the pregame coin toss are the two most popular non-football prop bets.
Click here for a great chart of national anthem lengths from Super Bowl XXV to Super Bowl LI. We’ll round it out: At Super Bowl LII, Pink came in at 1:52, under her two-minute line. Last year, Gladys Knight lasted 1:49, which was also under. (There was some controversy with Knight, however, as she decided to hit “brave” a second time, which took her to 2:01. That would have been well OVER the 1:50 line, had the repeat word counted.)
And here, USA Today kindly clocked a bunch of Lovato’s previous public performance of the patriotic Francis Scott Key song.
Lovato won’t be the only famous pop star performing Sunday in Miami. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will co-headline the Pepsi Halftime Show.
Super Bowl LIV, which will feature the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs taking on the NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, is set to kick off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Fox.