Bet in
craps, now
verboten in
casinos. Essentially, a
player would walk up to the
table, and yell something like, "$20 on the
pass line." The
dealer would say, "You've got a bet", acknowledging his intention to bet $20 on the pass line.
This would be fine, except for the habit of certain unscrupulous players to abscond when the shooter crapped out. This problem has been alleiviated by better casino security, but a more insidious one could not be.
The call bettor would say, "Five on the pass line." If the shooter crapped out or established a point, the player would place a $5 chip on the table. If the shooter won on the come out roll, the player would place five $100 chips on the table, winning $500.
Call bets are no longer allowed. Your money has to be on the table before you can bet. If you toss out a $100 bill, and ask for a bet while the dealer cashes you in, the dealer will confirm the exact amount of your bet verbally. Confusion costs the casino money, which, from their perspective, is a "bad thing".