SPLOID.com
Bad news for those in the South: even online gambling agencies (not to mention the Red Cross and cell companies) are predicting another huge hurricane season this year, with the odds suggesting it’s almost a dead certainty that the coast will be hit again.
As the 2006 season begins officially, insensitive gamblers are surging to bet on the likelihood of a hurricane smashing into the Florida coast this year. If it does though, they’re not likely to make much profit.
After two ferocious seasons, the big odds are only available if you want to bet on no hurricanes making landfall. “In terms of will a Category 3 (hurricane) not hit the U.S., actually there’s some great value in those odds,” said one gambling commentator. Or perhaps not, if science has anything to do with it.
“Six hundred was the last I saw, 6 to 1 odds or $6 paid for every dollar bet. Those are actually great odds considering the fact that in the last 16 years, there’s only been six years in which a Category 3 or higher has hit the United States.”
Gamblers would probably also be interested in the odds on just one major hurricane striking the United States, which currently stand at 4 to 1.
The hurricane betting plunge is part of the “proposition wagers” market, whereby punters can gamble on anything ranging from “will life be found on Mars?” to “who will win the next presidential election?”
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So is it ethical to bet on things like hurricanes, considering the death toll of over 1,300 from storms last year?
“I’m not looking to profit off destruction, believe me,” said Mickey Richardson, chief executive of Costa Rica-based BetCris.com. “I guess there’s a thin line between what’s appropriate and what’s not and I’m trying to stay in that gray area without offending people.”
Although they are offering bets on the weather, no online betting agencies giving odds on death tolls or home destruction.
Published: 2006-06-02
Bettor's enjoyed a good week with many favorites winning, especially in baseball. Sunday alone in baseball there were 13 defined favorites which won, so with results like that bookmakers generally have a tough time of it.
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2007-01-03 | permalink
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