betting

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15 Years Later, Crazy Bet on Grandson Worth $200K

Little Harry Wilson grew up to be a pro soccer player

(Newser) - Like a good return on your investment? Try betting that a toddler will become a professional athlete—a gamble that turned $80 into roughly $202,000 for a grandfather in Wales, the BBC reports. Peter Edwards, 62, made the bet on grandson Harry Wilson nearly 17 years ago and just...

Hot British Betting Topic: Archbishop of Canterbury?

New pick asks gamblers who made money on him to donate it to charity

(Newser) - The man picked to be the next archbishop of Canterbury has made a public plea, but it's not exactly on a churchly topic. Justin Welby took to Twitter to ask everyone who made money gambling that he'd be the new archbishop to donate the winnings to their local...

Crazy Cardinals Wager Wins Man $375K

Anonymous bettor shrugged off 999-1 odds

(Newser) - Think the Cardinals were a longshot to win the World Series last night? One man who didn't mind 999-1 odds in September made two $250 wagers—and won $375,000, Yahoo Sports reports. His bet for the conference series won him $125,000, and his World Series wager turned...

Why Gamblers Can't Walk Away
 Why Gamblers Can't Walk Away 
Feb 5, 2010 4:55 PM CST

Why Gamblers Can't Walk Away

A near miss gives that winning feeling, study finds

(Newser) - Scientists have unlocked a key to obsessive gambling—the lure of the near miss. In search of the reason gamblers keep playing even after strings of horrible losses, Cambridge University researchers examined the brains of gamblers. They found that a near miss—putting a bet on a horse that finished...

Chuck Todd Chickens Out on Goatee Bet

Dodger-loving reporter donates to charity rather than shaving

(Newser) - Chuck Todd isn’t shaving off his goatee, despite having lost a baseball bet to Jake Tapper. The NBC talking head has taken the coward’s way out and will donate to charity instead. Todd was supposed to shed his trademark goatee if the Dodgers lost the NLCS; had they...

Maybe Sports Betting Can Save Newspapers
Maybe Sports Betting
Can Save Newspapers
maureen dowd
Oct 21, 2009 12:01 PM CDT

Maybe Sports Betting Can Save Newspapers

Desperate times require desperate solutions, some say

(Newser) - With newspapers sinking deeper into trouble by the day, Maureen Dowd explores the idea of saving the day with a little vice. Specifically, allowing papers to rake in money by setting up online sports betting on their websites. Dowd herself isn't pushing it, but she has fun kicking it around...

Blocked From White House, Shaq Loses Bet

Guessed he could get in just by turning up

(Newser) - Shaquille O’Neal bet a friend he’d be let in the White House if he simply showed up—and he lost the wager, the Washington Post reports. “The rule was I couldn't use any of my political connections," Shaq said. "Couldn't show a badge. I couldn't...

Palin 2012 Odds See a Sharp Rebound
Palin 2012
Odds See a Sharp Rebound
OPINION
Jul 7, 2009 5:51 AM CDT

Palin 2012 Odds See a Sharp Rebound

Betting suggests gamblers believe Palin can go the distance

(Newser) - Gamblers were rushing to place online bets as soon as they got wind of Sarah Palin's resignation, Keith Thomson writes at the Huffington Post. The odds of her winning the nomination in 2012 shot up sharply the day of the resignation. They then shortened amid a surge in betting as...

Terminally Ill Man Picks a Winner: Himself

At 50-1 odds, British cancer patient has won $16K betting he'll live

(Newser) - A terminally ill British man collected about $8,200 today after betting he’d stay alive, the BBC reports. After being diagnosed with asbestos-related cancer in 2006 and told he had just months left, 59-year-old Jon Matthews made £100 bets he’d stick around until June 1, 2008, and...

You, Too, Can Pick a Winner
 You, Too, Can 
 Pick a Winner 
kentucky derby
May 1, 2009 2:37 PM CDT

You, Too, Can Pick a Winner

All you need is a buck and 3 key stats

(Newser) - Put down that mint julep: The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow, and you still don’t have a horse to bet on. But you do have a prayer, because Christina Settimi of Forbes, with help from horse racing expert Dean Keppler, outlines a winning strategy. With $118 million wagered, novices have...

Super Bowl Inspires Super Wacky Wagers

How much do you want to bet Bruce sings Born to Run ?

(Newser) - Propositions, or "prop bets," can add some spice to a Super Bowl blowout even as they leave oddsmakers shaking their heads. "They're a pain in the ass," a Las Vegas bookmaker tells ESPN the Magazine. "But it keeps non-fans interested for the entire game."...

Don't Want to Bet on the Super Bowl? Bet on Jennifer

Internet offers wagering on how long it'll take her to sing anthem, and other odd stuff

(Newser) - Want to gamble on the Super Bowl, but know nothing about football? No problem: You can place your bets for how long it will take Jennifer Hudson to sing the national anthem Sunday instead, TMZ reports. Sites like BetUS.com have all sorts of options that have little to do...

China Test-Runs 'Immoral' Horse Betting
China Test-Runs 'Immoral' Horse Betting 
glossies
Jan 3, 2009 11:02 AM CST

China Test-Runs 'Immoral' Horse Betting

Horse racing returns to mainland for first time since Communist victory

(Newser) - China is taking slow and cautious steps towards unlocking its huge betting market, the Economist reports. Gamblers at a Wuhan racecourse recently became the first people allowed to try their luck on the horses since the Communists outlawed gambling in 1949—although a winning pick only rewarded customers 20 lottery...

Bookie Drops Odds on God's Existence to 4-1

(Newser) - The odds are getting better that Nietzsche was not only crazy, but wrong, the Telegraph reports. An Irish bookmaker has lowered the odds on finding proof of God's existence to 4-1, after atheist ads on London buses sparked a flurry of pro-God betting. The bookie, Paddy Power, began taking the...

Davydenko Didn't Fix Matches, ATP Probe Finds

Tennis body finds no evidence Russian threw '07 contest for gambling profit

(Newser) - Nikolay Davydenko had nothing to do with any match-fixing, tennis authorities announced today after a lengthy investigation. Davydenko, 27, had been under suspicion after abnormally high betting on a 2007 match from which he withdrew citing injury, the BBC reports. Almost $7 million was placed on Davydenko’s opponent on...

Libertarian Bets $1M His GPA Tops Obama's

VP candidate says skin color helped senator get into Harvard

(Newser) - One of Barack Obama’s election opponents is putting his millions where his grades are. Wayne Allyn Root, the Las Vegas handicapper running for vice president on the Libertarian ticket with Bob Barr, has bet $1 million that he had a better GPA at Columbia University than classmate Obama. Root...

ATP Fines Davydenko for Lack of Effort

Tennis star draws rebuke from umpire after six double-faults

(Newser) - The Association of Tennis Professionals fined star player Nikolay Davydenko $2000 for lack of "best effort" in a St. Petersburg Open match against Marian Cilic. Already at the center of a betting investigation since August, Davydenko won the first set in 27 minutes, but lost the next two, the...

Donaghy Pleads Guilty in NBA Betting Scandal

Former referee says he was paid for picking winners correctly

(Newser) - Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on games he officiated and pleaded guilty today to two gambling-related felony counts. Donaghy, who turned himself in, told a Brooklyn judge he divulged game information and his picks on NBA games to gambling associates; he was paid for correctly choosing winning...

FBI Names Rogue NBA Ref
FBI Names Rogue NBA Ref
Jul 21, 2007 2:39 PM CDT

FBI Names Rogue NBA Ref

Veteran Tim Donaghy accused of mob ties, illegal bets totaling thousands of dollars

(Newser) - The FBI has officially blown the whistle on an NBA referee accused on illegal gambling. The feds are investigating claims that over the past two years veteran Tim Donaghy officiated a number of games on which he or his associates had placed bets—which might have totaled thousands of dollars....

Media Gurus Take Stock of New Website

MediaPredict.com brings a market mentality to picking the next hit

(Newser) - An enterprising start-up thinks it knows how to pick the next Da Vinci Code or "Friends," the Economist reports: virtual stockmarkets. MediaPredict.com lets volunteers use play money to bet on the success of a book manuscript, TV pilot, or opening-day take, and hopes the wisdom of crowds...

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