The underdog New York Giants are vying for the Super Bowl championship and the Lombardi Trophy this Sunday against the 12.5 favorites the New England Patriots. A win by the Giants would make them the second team in the history of the NFl to win all their playoff games on the road. But while Giants fans are eager to see Eli Manning and the Giants win this one for New York, Vegas sports books are hoping for a Patriots victory.

Right now bettors are backing the Giants by a margin of 3-1 largely due to the 12.5 spread favoring New England. But anything less than 12.5 will still spell a “win” for wagers placed on the Giants. That’s a huge spread considering that underdogs with at least +7 points tend to win.

“Las Vegas is definitely cheering for the Patriots right now,” Jason McCormick, director of the sports book at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas told NYPost.com today. If the Giants win, “It wouldn’t be a particularly good result.”

Of course, Vegas and online sports books are hoping to take an equal amount of wagers for both sides. The volume of wagers in support of the Pats will likely increase by Friday through Sunday as kickoff time approaches. By that time, they’ll have more information on the condition of Tom Brady’s injured ankle McCormick said.

“The Tom Brady situation definitely has a heavy influence in betting on the Patriots,” McCormick said. “If you’re looking to back the Patriots, there no sense playing it right now, until you have all the information.”

The fact that the Patriots are aiming to become the NFL’s first 19-0 team should cause more people to tune in and bet on the big game. Last year Nevada handled $93 million in action on the Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears matchup, but industry analysts expect that number to top the $100 million-dollar mark for this year’s historical game.

A few Super Bowl betting tips to keep in mind:

- Look at the entire season for both teams
- Check the matchup reports
- Bet the underdog
- Bet the “Under”
- Watch your wallet. Aside from typical bets, there are so many fun proposition bets to wager on.