The New Orleans Saints weren't the only winners on Super Bowl Sunday. Sportsbooks took in a good-sized haul, with both the underdog and the under coming in. The Saints covered as 4.5-point underdogs, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17. New Orleans gave backers their second payday of the postseason, closing the year at 10-9 against the spread.

Most of the early Super Bowl XLIV betting action was on Indianapolis, pumping the opening number as high as 6 points at Bodog Sports, an online gambling website. As the bye week dragged on with the help of the Pro Bowl, money on New Orleans rolled in and brought the spread to its closing spot of 4.5 at most markets. An injury to Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney also swayed a lot of public plays; however, Freeney did play and recorded a sack in the loss.

Bodog.com and other betting bookmakers made the most money on the total. After opening Super Bowl XLIV's total at 55 points, bettors expecting these two offensive heavyweights to trade punches bet that number to 56.5 and 57 points heading into kickoff.

A low-scoring first half (10-6), and an interception from Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning, snuffed out any shot at the over in the second half. New Orleans did a great job controlling the clock and taking what the Colts defense was allowing. Quarterback Drew Brees opted for quick hits over home-run plays, connecting on 32-of-39 passes (tying the record for completions in a Super Bowl game) for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

Money traded hands on a popular Super Bowl prop bet when the Saints won the coin flip, marking the 13^th straight time the NFC contender has won the coin toss. Any bettor leaning towards that trend would have grabbed New Orleans around -105 at most sportsbooks.

Other prop bets turning a profit for Super Bowl bettors included Marques Colston out-dueling Reggie Wayne. The Saints’ No. 1 receiver reeled in seven balls for 83 yards, while Wayne had only five catches for 46 yards receiving.

Joseph Addai took some of the sting out the loss for Colts fans, out-gaining Saints running back Pierre Thomas for one of the game's more popular prop bets. Addai rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries and rolled for a short touchdown in the third quarter. Thomas had nine carries for 30 yards but managed to grab six passes for 55 yards receiving and a touchdown.

In other matchups, Manning topped Brees in total passing yards with 333 yards, and also attempted more throws, going 31-for-45. Manning also won the “First QB to throw a TD pass” prop, connecting with receiver Pierre Garcon, who cashed in as a nice payout as the first player to score a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIV.

One of the biggest props to pay out Sunday was New Orleans' pick-six from defensive back Tracy Porter in the closing moments of the fourth quarter. Porter played Manning perfectly, jumping the passing lane and taking the ball 72 yards for the score. That marked the second Super Bowl defensive touchdown prop to pay out in the past two seasons.

Another unique play to pay out was New Orleans' gutsy onside kick to start the second half. Not only did that series sway the momentum in the Saints’ favor, but it also would have paid a pretty penny at books offering odds on whether there would be a recovered onside kick.