Did someone ask you to buy a Super Bowl square? Here's how it works (2024)

FAQs

How does the Super Bowl Square fundraiser work? ›

Picture a 10×10 grid, creating 100 squares, where participants can purchase individual squares. Each row and column is randomly assigned a number from 0 to 9, correlating to the last number of the score for each team playing in the game. Winners are determined at the end of each quarter based on the current score.

How to win Super Bowl squares. Winning typically involves the score by the end of each quarter. The numbers on each side of the grid represent the last digit of the AFC team's score and the other represents the last digit of the NFC team's score, and whoever has that square when the quarter ends, wins.

When it comes to potentially not filling up a Grid, it is up to the Admin to decide how to handle it, but we usually recommend simply reducing the price of your squares and letting your existing Users select more Squares at the same price.

Each square relates to an outcome at a significant juncture in the game, either at the end of a certain quarter, half or the full game (depending on the chosen market — there should be a description at the top of the betting menu). To participate, all a bettor needs to do is pick the square that you believe will win.

The payout for each winner is determined prior to the game, based on how much the group is willing to put in. For example, if each square costs $10, the total pot is $1,000. The winners at the end of each of the first three quarters could win $200 each, with the final score winner taking home $400.

Given the pervasiveness of legal sports betting, most employees (and their employers) assume sports betting in all forms is legal. But it is not. In fact, Super Bowl squares are illegal in 37 states. And even the states that do permit office pools have different requirements.

A standard Super Bowl square is a 10×10 grid. Each team playing in the game is assigned to the x and y axis. Each team playing the Super Bowl will each be assigned an axis (this year, it's the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers). It doesn't matter which team gets which side.

These contests, albeit fun, in essence constitute private lotteries. And private lotteries are a big no-no under both federal and state law for a number of reasons. Among them, they divert funds from state-sanctioned public lotteries.

In general, the more 0, 3 and 7 squares you have, the better, because they never go out of style. (The first number listed in these combinations is for the home team, which in this Super Bowl is technically the Chiefs. Obviously there is no real home-field advantage in the Super Bowl.)

Zero, three or seven are the ending digit 102 times out of a possible 114 times (89.5 percent) at the end of the first quarter. Those are the best numbers you can have, but that's especially true early in games.

What is the predicted Super Bowl score in 2024? ›

CBS Sports: Chiefs to beat the 49ers in a 24-23 thriller

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes already has 14 career playoff wins, tied with Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, and Peyton Manning for the third-most by a QB in NFL history.

In the United States, it is common to see friends and family participate in sports pools for the Super Bowl, often known as “Super Bowl Squares”. These pools are legal as long as the state's social gambling rules are followed.

The least desired numbers in Super Bowl squares are easily: 2, 5, 9. If you land any combinations of these numbers at your Super Bowl party, you most likely will be looking for a seat closest to the keg – since you likely have no chance at hitting a square.

The numbers are based on a $50 a square game, with a $625 payout for the 1st and 3rd quarters, a $1,250 payout for halftime, and a $2,500 payout for the end of the game. (The cells are colored green for valuable, red for not valuable, and yellow for middle, with gradations.)

Despite their popularity, those Super Bowl squares can present thorny legal risks for employers who sponsor them, because Super Bowl squares are, by definition, gambling. Whether that gambling is unlawful depends on the jurisdiction and how the pool is operated.

How do Super Bowl squares work? The game starts with a 10-by-10 grid – 100 individual boxes – each of which is assigned a universal price tag, like $1 per square. There is no limit on the number of boxes that can be purchased.

The game is played using a 10x10 grid consisting of 100 possible options. One Super Bowl NFL team is listed on the horizontal axis and the other is listed on the vertical axis. Participants can pick specific square(s), selecting the last digit of each team's game points at the end of every quarter.

The way the game is set up is with a 10-by-10, 100-square grid in which one Super Bowl team is assigned rows (horizontal) and the the other columns (vertical). How money is handled will depend on the host.