February 7, 2025

Behind the Lines: A Day in the Life of a Super Bowl Trader

Spencer Diaz, Senior Sports Trader for FanDuel, explains how his team prepares for the biggest sports betting event of the year

Behind the Lines

For millions, the Super Bowl is the ultimate spectacle – a Sunday filled with tradition, pageantry, and excitement. But for the trading team at FanDuel, it represents something much different, it is the culmination of months of preparation, analysis, and collaboration. With the stage now set and the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs set to battle it out for the famous Lombardi Trophy, our work has intensified in the build toward the most significant day of the global sporting calendar. Whether it is setting the opening lines to managing futures, considering new markets and pricing prop bets, every task is crucial in delivering a world-class experience for the millions of FanDuel customers that will be engrossed in the game. Here is how we do it.

From Playoff Grind to Super Bowl Spotlight

The NFL playoffs are a busy period for FanDuel’s trading team, but my responsibilities go beyond the outcome of the games themselves and always have the Super Bowl in mind. Throughout the month of January, I am preparing and re-pricing odds for hypothetical Super Bowl matchups based on what I am seeing within each playoff game. Futures markets, including the Super Bowl MVP, playoff statistical leaders, and other player specials, are also under my care. This means staying a step ahead, analyzing every scenario to ensure that FanDuel Sportsbook can offer a multitude of Super Bowl betting options in real time at compelling prices.

During Super Bowl week, my focus shifts dramatically. In a typical NFL week, the team will be busy updating futures markets early on, adjusting core markets midweek, and preparing player props as the weekend approaches. For the Super Bowl, much of this foundational work is already completed in advance, allowing the team to dedicate time to the finer details. We price hundreds of props and collaborate with other departments to ensure we’re delivering an experience that allows our customers to easily find the Super Bowl bets that they want to place.

While every NFL game matters, the Super Bowl is on another level – it’s our moment to showcase the full scope of what FanDuel can offer in terms of competitive prices and a best-in-class product.

Preparation: The Secret to Success

When it comes to trading, instinct and intuition are important, but preparation is vital. By the end of the season, our team has analyzed every team’s performance, evaluated countless data points, and honed our trading strategies. This meticulous process ensures that by the time the Super Bowl arrives, we’re not just reacting to market trends – we’ve developed a well-informed house view on the teams and players involved allowing us to create robust offering for our customers.

For this season, we’re particularly proud of the innovations we’ve introduced for the Super Bowl. We’ve trialled ‘YourWay’, our new customizable betting feature, with some of our customers, which lets them parlay almost any core market or player prop into a single personalized bet. It’s a game-changer for those looking to tailor their Super Bowl experience, with literally trillions of possibilities using this new product.

Other new offerings include ‘Or Touchdown’ markets, where customers can bet on either of two players to score in various scenarios, as well as drive-specific ‘Same Game Parlays’ (SGPs), allowing for wagers like who will catch a pass, score a touchdown, or determine the result of a specific drive. For the first time, we’re also offering live in-play game specials, enabling us to create topical markets as the game unfolds, adding a dynamic layer to the customer experience.

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The Big Day Atmosphere

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches, the excitement within the team becomes palpable. There’s a unique energy in the air – a mix of anticipation and nerves – knowing the level of effort that has gone into creating a standout experience for our customers.

By game day, most of the heavy lifting is complete. The focus shifts to managing the live markets, ensuring that everything runs smoothly as millions of customers worldwide place their bets based on the prices we’ve set. The sheer volume of wagers, combined with the complexity of the props and specials on offer, makes for an exhilarating and fast-paced experience throughout Sunday.

Our goal is simple; provide customers with an unmatched betting experience while managing the risk that comes with such a high-stakes event. It’s a delicate balance, but one that our team has mastered through years of expertise and preparation.

One of the key factors in our success is the global trading infrastructure we have in place as part of Flutter. Leveraging three trading hubs in New Jersey, Dublin and Melbourne, our global team of 1,500 specialist operate on a 24/7 basis, ensuring we can respond to market changes and customer demand at any time.

This global coverage is a significant competitive advantage, part of the Flutter Edge, allowing us to adapt quickly to developments and maintain seamless operations throughout Super Bowl week. It’s testament to the strength and cohesion of our global trading function, which spans multiple time zones and areas of expertise.

Memorable Super Bowl Moments

Every Super Bowl has its moments, but a few stand out more than others from a trading perspective. For example, two years ago, during the Philadelphia Eagles – Kansas City Chiefs showdown that we’ll be seeing once again, a viral ‘leaked script’ predicted a 37-34 Eagles victory. The false rumour gained traction on social media and before long, we saw a high volume of bets on the possible outcome. Of course, we were happy to take these bets given the confidence we have in our pricing accuracy, and it allowed us be part of the viral moment our customers. As the game progressed, the score edged closer to the outcome, which was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. Ultimately, the scoreline didn’t materialize, but it was a reminder of how unpredictable and exhilarating the Super Bowl can be.

Last year’s game brought its own drama. Our trading team had fancied the chances of the San Francisco 49ers since the start and had them favourites to upset the Chiefs after a brilliant season that we all admired. This added emotional investment made last year’s Super Bowl even more exciting as it went into overtime, despite the result not ultimately going the way we hoped as a group of fans.

These experiences demonstrate how the Super Bowl is the pinnacle of our work as FanDuel traders. It’s a time to showcase our expertise, creativity, and ability to deliver a truly exceptional experience for our customers. The preparation is intense, the stakes are high, and the energy is unmatched. But once the final whistle blows, there’s a sense of pride in knowing that we’ve played a role in one of the biggest sporting events in the world. For us, the Super Bowl isn’t just a game – it’s the ultimate test of everything we do.