Super Bowl Coin Toss & Gatorade Shower Prop Bets: Essential Facts and Details

Bet on These Fun Super Bowl Propositions
When it comes to Super Bowl betting, the coin toss and Gatorade shower color prop bets draw major betting action. These novelty wagers have become incredibly popular over the years, with fans eager to have some extra fun with their betting. But can you actually place these prop bets legally? And if so, where are the best places to do so? What do you need to know before putting your money down on these props?
Super Bowl Coin Toss
The coin toss occurs right before the big game starts, with the referee flipping the commemorative Super Bowl coin to determine which team gets the opening possession. You simply bet on whether that coin will land on heads or tails when it’s flipped. This bet has become popular because it’s extremely easy to understand—it’s basically a simple 50/50 proposition for fans. However, that doesn’t make it a smart or low-risk wager by any means.
You are able to legally bet on the Super Bowl coin toss in 17 states across the country as well as Washington D.C. This includes states like North Carolina, which fully launched North Carolina sports betting back in 2021. The top online sportsbooks for placing your coin toss bet are DraftKings, Caesars, FanDuel, and BetMGM. Of those, DraftKings stands out by offering the best odds at even money (-100 odds) for North Carolina sports betting.
The actual process of betting the coin flip is very straightforward. You just pick either heads or tails, the side you think it will land on. The bet will then be added to your betting slip, where you can take a look at the details and adjust your actual bet amount before confirming that wager.
No Clear Edge in Coin Toss Betting
It’s important to note that there are no real trends or clear edges to pick up on when betting the Super Bowl coin toss. It is basically random chance, almost like you’re the one flipping a coin yourself. Both heads and tails have gone on decent streaks, landing several consecutive years in a row, but again it is purely a 50/50 pregame proposition.
The bottom line is that while the coin toss bet can provide entertainment, it’s simply not worth serious betting consideration. Because it is a completely random chance, you should theoretically receive even odds from sportsbooks on this flip. That is rarely the case, however, meaning you typically need to risk more money than you stand to win. This is a wager reserved for tossing some fun money at, not your serious bankroll.
Super Bowl | Teams | Coin toss result | Toss winner | Super Bowl winner | Most Valuable Player |
LVII | Chiefs vs. Eagles | Tails | Chiefs | Chiefs | TBD |
LVIR | Rams vs. Bengals | Heads | Bengals | Rams | Cooper Kupp |
LV | Chiefs vs. Buccaneers | Heads | Chiefs | Buccaneers | Tom Brady |
LIV | Chiefs vs. 49ers | Tails | 49ers | Chiefs | Patrick Mahomes |
LIII | Patriots vs. Rams | Heads | Rams | Patriots | Julian Edelman |
LII | Patriots vs. Eagles | Heads | Patriots | Eagles | Nick Foles |
LI | Falcons vs. Patriots | Tails | Falcons | Patriots | Tom Brady |
L | Panthers vs. Broncos | Tails | Panthers | Broncos | Von Miller |
XLIX | Seahawks vs. Patriots | Tails | Seahawks | Patriots | Tom Brady |
XLVIII | Seahawks vs. Broncos | Tails | Seahawks | Seahawks | Malcolm Smith |
XLVII | Ravens vs. 49ers | Heads | Ravens | Ravens | Joe Flacco |
XLVI | Patriots vs. Giants | Heads | Patriots | Giants | Eli Manning |
XLV | Packers vs. Steelers | Heads | Packers | Packers | Aaron Rodgers |
XLIV | Saints vs. Colts | Heads | Saints | Saints | Drew Brees |
XLIII | Cardinals vs. Steelers | Heads | Cardinals | Steelers | Santonio Holmes |
XLII | Giants vs. Patriots | Tails | Giants | Giants | Eli Manning |
XLI | Bears vs. Colts | Heads | Bears | Colts | Peyton Manning |
XL | Seahawks vs. Steelers | Tails | Seahawks | Steelers | Hines Ward |
XXXIX | Eagles vs. Patriots | Tails | Eagles | Patriots | Deion Branch |
XXXVIII | Panthers vs. Patriots | Tails | Panthers | Patriots | Tom Brady |
XXXVII | Buccaneers vs. Raiders | Tails | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Dexter Jackson |
XXXVI | Rams vs. Patriots | Heads | Rams | Patriots | Tom Brady |
XXXV | Giants vs. Ravens | Tails | Giants | Ravens | Ray Lewis |
XXXIV | Rams vs. Titans | Tails | Rams | Rams | Kurt Warner |
XXXIII | Falcons vs. Broncos | Tails | Falcons | Broncos | John Elway |
XXXII | Packers vs. Broncos | Tails | Packers | Broncos | Terrell Davis |
XXXI | Patriots vs. Packers | Heads | Patriots | Packers | Desmond Howard |
Gatorade Shower Color Celebration
The Gatorade shower bet focuses attention on the color of the sports drink that will be joyously dumped on the Super Bowl-winning head coach by his players. Sportsbooks will offer betting odds for each potential color outcome, with some colors receiving much more lucrative payouts than others that are seen as more likely.
For example, after Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 57, he received the traditional Gatorade dumping in a surprising shade of purple. At odds sitting around +750, a $10 bet would have brought back $75 for those who predicted purple correctly.
Origin Story of Gatorade Shower Tradition
The actual tradition of players dumping icy coolers of Gatorade on their head coach, drenching them as a tangible symbol of their victory, is widely credited to have started with the late 1980s New York Giants coached by Bill Parcells. He was frequently showered with Gatorade following wins throughout his Big Blue tenure.
This signature celebration reached new widespread fame when Parcells received the iconic Gatorade shower on the global stage after the Giants defeated the Denver Broncos in 1987’s Super Bowl XXI. From there, the act has continued across sports, especially as a highly anticipated spectacle after each Super Bowl.
Most Popular Gatorade Colors
Examining the data since the 2001 Super Bowl, orange and blue Gatorade have proven to be the most popular shades, each getting dumped on winning coaches four times. Clear or water and no shower at all have also been the surprise outcome four times as well. Other notable stats:
Yellow Gatorade: 3 times
Purple Gatorade: 3 times
Here is the full breakdown of exact Gatorade shades used in Super Bowl celebrations all the way back to 2001:
- Orange: 5
- Blue: 4
- Clear: 4
- None: 4
- Yellow: 3
- Purple: 3
Gatorade Color Bet Strictly for Entertainment
Similar to the coin toss, betting on the Super Bowl’s Gatorade color is arguably best used purely for entertainment purposes. There simply isn’t concrete information or data trends available to extensively research in hopes of gaining a significant betting edge. At the end of the day, you are purely guessing at what colorful shade you think will be the choice to soak the winning head coach.
The advice is only to bet small, affordable amounts on novelty proposition bets such as the Gatorade color and to never wager funds you cannot afford to lose. Have fun with these quirky bets, but don’t get carried away chasing a big score or payout. Use proper bankroll management and set reasonable spending limits.
Year | Winning team | Gatorade color |
2023 | Kansas City Chiefs | Purple |
2022 | Los Angeles Rams | Blue |
2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Blue |
2020 | Kansas City Chiefs | Orange |
2019 | New England Patriots | Blue |
2018 | Philadelphia Eagles | Yellow |
2017 | New England Patriots | None |
2016 | Denver Broncos | Orange |
2015 | New England Patriots | Blue |
2014 | Seattle Seahawks | Orange |
2013 | Baltimore Ravens | None |
2012 | New York Giants | Purple |
2011 | Green Bay Packers | Orange |
2010 | New Orleans Saints | Orange |
2009 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Yellow |
2008 | New York Giants | Clear |
2007 | Indianapolis Colts | Clear |
2006 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Clear |
2005 | New England Patriots | Clear |
2004 | New England Patriots | None |
2003 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Purple |
2002 | New England Patriots | None |
2001 | Baltimore Ravens | Yellow |

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