Prop Bets Make Sports Betting Fun, Accessible For Casual Fans
OCEANPORT, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – New Jersey's new sports betting isn't limited to just who will win the game.
You can also bet on anything – from the challenging to the silly – in what's called a prop bet.
For example, at Monmouth Park, you can bet on who hits the first home run, whether the Yankees will score in the first inning, the number of mound visits or the number of strike-outs. But you can't bet on things like how many high-fives a player will get or the color of a team's Gatorade.
"You have to bet on things that are going to be determined on the field of play, which is the model that we'll use here," William Hill Betting CEO Joe Asher told CBS2's Steve Overmyer.
More: Legal Sports Betting Begins In New Jersey
The prop bets available Thursday centered around the World Cup, like will any player be ejected or will there be a goal scored in the first 34 minutes?
"Pure enjoyment, no skilled involved. There is zero skill in prop bets," said expert Stuart Feiner.
They aren't for the refined gambler, but they are fun and can make you money.
"I cashed a 20-1 ticket on the royal wedding on Prince Harry's response to his vows," gambling consigliere "Blackjack" Fletcher said. "Both his father in two weddings and his father in one said, 'I will.' So I laid that money and cashed a 20-1 ticket on Prince Harry in the royal wedding."
There's no betting on royal weddings in New Jersey, but you can bet on the number of corner kicks or the number of red cards.
Overmyer met two men from the United Kingdom, where sports gambling has been legal for 60 years.
"Every pub has a bookie next door. You go in and bet your football, your racing, whatever sports you can," one said. "You're catching up."
"Five or 10 bucks never hurt anybody," said the other.
When gambling becomes legal online, William Hill will allow you to suggest prop bets on Twitter. The sports book in Las Vegas will then give you the odds.
