“The road to where we are today began in 1986, when Las Vegas oddsmakers started taking bets on whether the Chicago Bears’ defensive tackle William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry would score a touchdown in that year’s Super Bowl. This is believed to have been the American gambling industry’s first formal prop bet—a wager that is not directly contingent on the final score of a sporting event.” The trend caught on, and not just when it comes to football or even sports in general. You Can Bet on Anything Now.