Like them or hate them, referees inevitably have an effect on the outcome over every big game. While the best outcome for officials (and the NFL) is to hardly be mentioned at all on the broadcast, studying the Super Bowl referee betting stats can be lead to some clues on how to handicap Super Bowl 58. Bill Vinovich will lead his third Super Bowl as part of a crew that features four of eight officials with prior Super Bowl experience. Below we break down this year’s Super Bowl officials and the crucial Super Bowl referee betting stats you need to know.
The Super Bowl LVIII officiating crew: pic.twitter.com/gQUr8oIuNU
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) January 23, 2024
For more information on everything about wagering on the big game, head over to our Super Bowl hub that lists everything you’ll need to wager on the championship contest.
Odds Shark Super Bowl 58 Betting Resources
Super Bowl 58 Refereeing Crew
The NFL has announced the officiating lineup for Super Bowl 58, led by Bill Vinovich, who will helm his third Super Bowl.
Referee: Bill Vinovich
Umpire: Terry Killens
Down Judge: Patrick Holt
Line Judge: Mark Perlman
Field Judge: Tom Hill
Side Judge: Allen Baynes
Back Judge: Brad Freeman
Replay Official: Mike Chase
Note: Killens, Holt, Bayne, and Freeman will be working their first Super Bowl.
Who is Bill Vinovich And What To Expect:
Bill Vinovich began his career as an official in College Football's Mountain West Conference, before making the transition to the NFL in 2001. He started his career as a side judge in 2001, and was promoted to referee three years later. Vinovich will ref his third Super Bowl on Sunday, after taking charge in Super Bowl 49, and intriguingly the Super Bowl 54 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
Not much can be drawn as far as betting trends from those two games. As the thrilling Patriots-Seahawks contest in Super Bowl 49 hit the OVER, with the underdog coming out on top. While the favoured Chiefs took home the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 54, and the UNDER 56 total points hit for bettors.
Don't expect Vinovich and his crew to have a massive impact on the outcome of Super Bowl 58. In fact, Vinovich's officiating crews have averaged the fewest flags thrown per game in six of the past eight seasons. His team threw just nine flags in the Niners-Chiefs Super Bowl 54 matchup.
Vinovich has been widely skewered for the controversial no-call in the 2018 NFC Championship Game. You'll recall that as Drew Brees was leading his New Orleans Saints on a potentially game-winning drive, he threw a pass to Saints' wide receiver Tommylee Lewis at the Los Angeles Rams 13-yard line. Lewis was contacted by Rams' corner Nickell Robey-Coleman - who failed to turn towards the football. Although the contact, along with Robey-Coleman's failure to play the football, appeared to warrant a pass-interference flag, none was thrown on the play. Saints fans have titled the incident the "NOLA no-call."
Believe me, the last thing these officials want to do is become the lead for talking heads on Monday morning. Vinovich will keep his gun in the holster during Super Bowl 58. Super Bowl player prop UNDERS could be a profitable play should Vinovich and his team allow defensive players to play a physical brand of football.
Super Bowl Referee Betting Stats
Vinovich The Most Profitable UNDER Referee
| Betting Result | Win | Loss | Push | Win Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNDER | 100 | 67 | 1 | 59.5% |
| Favorites ATS (since 2018) | 41 | 57 | 2 | 58% |
Vinovich is the most profitable UNDER referee in the NFL, with total going UNDER in nearly 60% of the game's he's officiated. He's also 60-39-2 (60%) to the UNDER over the last five seasons. At least his crews are consistent.
Likewise, Vinovich is also the most profitable underdog ATS play among NFL officials. His crew have been in charge of 57 underdog against the spread wins over the last five seasons. This vibes with his crews' tendency to keep their flags in their pockets. Fewer penalties allows the game clock to run at a rapid pace, while limiting the amount of free yards given to the offense on pass interference and personal foul plays.
Last 10 Super Bowls Betting Results & Referee
| Name | Super Bowl | Spread/Total Betting Results |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Cheffers | LVII | Underdog, OVER |
| Ron Torbert | LVI | Favorite, UNDER |
| Carl Cheffers | LV | Underdog, UNDER |
| Bill Vinovich | LIV | Favorite, UNDER |
| John Parry | LIII | Favorite, UNDER |
| Gene Steratore | LII | Underdog, OVER |
| Carl Cheffers | LI | Favorite, OVER |
| Clete Blakeman | L | Underdog, UNDER |
| Bill Vinovich | XLIX | Underdog, OVER |
| Terry McAulay | XLVIII | Underdog, OVER |
For a more detailed look into the betting results of Super Bowls, check out our Super Bowl Betting Odds History page!
Which Officials Have been in the most super bowls?
| Name | Number of Appearances | Which Super Bowls Were They In? |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Beeks | 5 | XIV, XVI, XVIII, XXI, XXIII |
| Ron Botchan | 5 | XX, XXVII, XXIX, XXXI, XXXIV |
| Jack Fette | 5 | V, VIII, X, XIII, XXII |
| Al Jury | 5 | XX, XXII, XXIV, XXVIII, XXXIV |
| Tom Kelleher | 5 | IV, VII, XI, XV, XIX |
| Carl Paganelli | 5 | XXXIX, XLI, XLVI, XLVIII, LVII |
| Al Conway | 4 | IX, XIV, XVI, XXII |
| Art Demmas | 4 | XIII, XVII, XXV, XXVII |
| Fritz Graf | 4 | V, VIII, XV, XVIII |
| Stan Javie | 4 | II, VIII, X, XIV |
| Jerry Markbreit | 4 | XVII, XXI, XXVI, XXIX |
| Tony Veteri | 4 | II, VII, XII, XV |
| Jerry Bergman | 4 | XIII, XVI, XVIII, XXIII |
Only six hallowed officials have been selected to appear in five separate Super Bowls and eight have been hired to work in four Super Bowls. Jerry Markbreit is the only name on the list to appear in four Super Bowls as the referee.
How Do I Use These Super Bowl Referee Betting Stats?
The easiest way to utilize these Super Bowl 58 referee betting stats is to bet on the UNDER 47.5 total points for Super Bowl 58, at -110 odds. As depicted above, blindly betting games in which Vinovich is the ref has hit at a near 60% clip. Capitalizing on Bill Vinovich's tendency to keep his flag in his pocket favours the defense, and there is certainly a history of less scoring when he's in charge.
If you’re convinced the Kansas City Chiefs will win Super Bowl 58, a moneyline bet on the Chiefs would be simply picking them to win the big game.
Here the moneyline Super Bowl odds:
- San Francisco 49ers -130
- Kansas City Chiefs +110
Using the odds above, we see the 49ers are the favorites and Super Bowl MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are the underdogs. The favorite is shown by the minus sign (-), while underdogs are often easily identifiable with the plus sign (+).
If you were to wager $100 on the Chiefs at +110 odds and they win, you’d get a payout of $210 – your original $100 is returned along with your winnings of $110.
To see how much you’d win based on any odds and the amount wagered, check out our Odds Calculator.
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Super Bowl Referee Betting Stats FAQ
Who is the referee for Super Bowl 57?
The referee for Super Bowl 57 is Carl Cheffers, who will be appearing in his third Super Bowl in six seasons.
Who is the officiating crew for Super Bowl 57?
Carl Cheffers has been named the referee for Super Bowl 57. The rest of the crew features Jerod Phillips as the down judge, Jeff Bergman as the line judge, Roy Ellison as the umpire, John Jenkins as the field judge, Dino Paganelli as back judge, Eugene Hall as the side judge and Mark Butterworth as the replay official.
What are some Super Bowl referee betting stats?
An interesting Super Bowl betting stat is the UNDER has hit in four consecutive Super Bowls. The favorites are 4-2 ATS in the same time period.
