Jim Nantz drops gambling reference early in Super Bowl

Jim Nantz took a page out of Al Michaels’ book early in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday.

Nantz dropped a gambling reference as the first quarter came to a close. There were no scores between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in the first 15 minutes, which was surprising in a game featuring two great offenses. Just before CBS went to a commercial break, Nantz dropped a subtle gambling reference.

“0-0, I wonder who had that,” Nantz said. “Good luck out there.”

"0-0 … I wonder who had that. Good luck out there." — Jim Nantz.

The veiled gambling reference during the Super Bowl is alive.

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) February 12, 2024

Nantz was referring to squares pools, where gamblers buy specific squares on a sheet that correspond with the last number in each team’s score. There are typically payouts at the end of each quarter, so anyone who had 0 for Kansas City and 0 for San Francisco would have won the first quarter.

This year’s Super Bowl was held in Las Vegas for the first time ever, so it was even more appropriate for Nantz to sneak in a gambling reference. Michaels has always been the master of that, but Nantz played it well.