Prop bets have exploded since humble beginnings
Some tune in for the commercials, others for the over-the-top halftime show. Although I've rarely met them, I've heard some people actually watch the Super Bowl for the football.
But by the time the coin is tossed Sunday for Super Bowl 50, chances are good a mass of fans will be watching for the outcome of their crazy proposition bets. The coin-toss bet is one that reminds us we'll pretty much wager on anything that moves in this country.
Prop bets fall into a couple categories. The first kind appeals to the statistic-obsessed fan and gambler. It's all about most yards this, most interceptions that. If you've been following the controversial fantasy sports betting phenomenon, these may be the kind of bets you can't resist.
Frankly, they're pretty boring.
The props I like best are the off-the-wall, bet on the length of the national anthem kind. And now we're seeing plenty of mind-bending cross-sport offerings.
As provided by the folks at Station Casinos, here is a sample:
— Which will be higher: Denver quarterback Peyton Manning's total touchdown passes or Chicago Blackhawks' right winger Patrick Kane's goals and assists?
— Another cross-sport doozy: Which will be more, the Golden State Warriors' total 3-point field goals made on Sunday against Oklahoma or the Carolina Panthers' total first-half points?
— And another: Which will be greater, the UNLV men's basketball team's total points in its Sunday game against Fresno State or Denver's Demaryius Thomas's total receiving yards?
If you're searching for someone to blame for the popularity of proposition wagering, look no further than Station Casinos race and sports book Vice President Art Manteris, who had the audacity back in 1985 at Caesars Palace to propose a bet on whether the Chicago Bears' William "Refrigerator" Perry would score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.
"It really exploded from that point on," Manteris says, admitting that it has grown far larger than he imagined back then.
"There's some really goofy ones," Manteris says, "but they're a lot of fun."
WATER WISE: Israel's leadership role in water management took center stage Wednesday at UNLV's Stan Fulton Building during the Jewish National Fund Las Vegas Water Summit. The gathering drew several experts in the field. Among them: former Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager Pat Mulroy and Seth M. Siegel, author of "Let There Be Water: Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World."
The event was hosted by former Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, who is now the CEO and Senior Provost of Touro University.
Jewish National is a nonprofit responsible for, among many things, creating more than 1,000 parks and planting more than 240 million trees in Israel.
CRIME PAYS: Or, at least it will if Bill Friedman's big book "30 Illegal Years to the Strip" receives the attention it deserves. It is a heavyweight and informed view of Prohibition gangsters and their impact on Las Vegas, one of a series he has been working on for years.
Many of the names are well-known to mob buffs and the eldest members of the local sporting crowd, but longtime casino executive and consultant Friedman treats tales of Meyer Lansky, Ben Siegel, Charlie Luciano and Vincent "Jimmy Blue Eyes" Alo. And no list from that era would be complete without mention of Moe Dalitz.
Friedman was featured in a two-hour special late Thursday on the CoastToCoastAM.com stations.
ON THE BOULEVARD: A fedora's tip to the passing of former Tropicana casino manager and all-around mechanic Don Shepard, a name probably lost to many, but one I'll certainly never forget. An insider's insider. ... Angelo Cassaro and his friends at the Italian-American Club really know how to have a good time. They put up with some of my smart remarks at Wednesday night's meeting, which included a top-notch rendering of "Over the Rainbow" by pianist/singer Chadwick Johnson.
— Have an item for Bard of the Boulevard? Email comments and contributions to jsmith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith.
