Prop Betting Began As Another Way To Bet The Super Bowl And Has Grown Into Major Wagering Attraction

As Chicago roared through the 1985 NFL season, the Bears bullied opponents with the innovative "46 defense."

Sports betting at that time was anything but innovative.

A point spread, money line and total. That was about it. Proposition bets were around, but not a central part of sports wagering.

Then Art Manteris at Caesars Palace had an idea. The Bears were identified by their defense, and one of their tackles, William "Refrigerator" Perry, had created national buzz by lining up at fullback and scoring touchdowns on goal-line plays. So Manteris came up with a separate bet on whether the 340-pound Perry would score a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots.

"It was the biggest thing that ever happened to the prop bet because it made everybody say, 'What the hell's going on?'" said longtime oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro, who now works for South Point in Las Vegas.