Last week, Pullen hosted a group of Caesars bookmakers at his house in Las Vegas, armed with laptops and pizza, and created this year’s menu of 2,000 prop bets for Super Bowl LVII. As Americans are expected to wager up to $16 billion on the game, many sportsbooks across the country derive more than half their handle off props.Īdam Pullen, Caesars Sportsbook’s assistant director of trading, says that after 37 years, props have become one of the most important offerings in the betting world. The Fridge got his TD, many gamblers who took those odds won big, and Caesars took the loss.īut the prop bet has grown over the years to become a crucial way sportsbooks increase their offerings, entice gamblers to spend more and grow their bottom line. Art Manderis, then the director of the sportsbook at Caesars, posted a wager at 20-to-1 odds that the charismatic Chicago Bears’ defensive lineman William “The Refrigerator” Perry would score a touchdown.
The first prop bet, it is said, was created in January 1986 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas before Super Bowl XX. The Fridge delivered on the first prop bet.
Betting Large: William “The Refrigerator” Perry celebrates scoring a TD in Super Bowl XX.
