Curious Look at The Most Bizarre Bets Ever Placed

Not everyone bets on soccer scores and winning horses. Betting history is dotted with picturesque stories of punters putting big money in order to potentially snatch a much bigger reward. Some claim that it all started with the guy named David Threlfall winning a 1000/1 bet on Neil Armstrong being the first man on the moon. Well, just so you know, he later died driving the car he bought with prize money. This should give you an indication of where we are heading: to the world of bizarre and crazy betting.

The show must go on

Bookies gladly accept bets, regardless of how outlandish they are. Think of something current and chances are you will be able to bet on it. People find thrill in predicting outcomes of TV shows, internal politics, celebrity marriages, and diplomatic goings-on. In recent years, we have seen individuals betting on everything from who the next Pope will be to the actor who will assume the role of the Doctor Who next.

 

In the UK, betting on the royal family affairs is all the rage. Currently, everyone is preoccupied with odds and predictions on what William’s and Kate’s third-born baby will be named. Arthur, Albert, James, and Phillip are favorites, while Richard and Peter pose outsiders with 40/1 and 33/1 respectively. Americans, though, are more interested in guessing the name of Kim’s and Kanye’s baby. This goes to show that betting culture takes different shapes and forms across the globe.

A shadow looms

Sometimes, betting decides to show its ugly side. This can be said about one fixed-odds betting addict losing £5,000 in an hour and then begging shop assistant to throw him out. Namely, the poor fellow admitted that he is an addict and prone to self-destruction. Yet, he struggles to find the way out of the pitfall, thinking about terminals every day. This is just one case of dangerous addiction at work. It is spreading around and becoming a real epidemic.

PlayOJO Casino reveals that there are many gambling myths floating around, false notions that obfuscate the root of the issue. For instance, it is not true that problem gamblers will bet on anything. Yes, addiction is often stronger and manages to overshadow rational thinking. However, people still want to make money and they tend to stick to what they know.

The end is near

With this in mind, we shall go on to explore the corridors of bizarre betting. In hindsight, you might say that betting on Leister winning the premier league was brilliant. Yet, the odds were 5,000/1 at the start of the shocking season. These odds, by the way, were five times bigger than those of Simon Cowell becoming a prime minister (1,000/1). So, even people reading insightful betting blogs were caught by surprise.

Beyond sports, we see numerous prop bets that are responsible for some of the most outrageous cases in Las Vegas. Brian Zembic won a hefty amount by implanting breasts and keeping them for one year. This way, he proved his friends wrong, a friend who thought $10,000 is not enough to endure so much ridicule. Huck Seed, on the other hand, lost his money because he was not able to stand in the ocean for 24 hours. He lasted only 3 hours.

Finally, conspiracy theorists and doomsday heralds seem to be confident betting considerable sums on the date our world will end. They were wrong about Planet X smashing into earth on September 23rd 2017, but this is not likely to stop them. Back then, you could also bet on which country will receive the blow. Australia, USA, and China topped the list with highest chances, although North Korea was not lagging far behind.

A rabbit hole

Bookmakers are always willing to part a fool with their money. Betters go to great lengths if they recognize even the slimmest chance of hitting it big. This wacky side of betting also sheds new light on serious issues. Gambling away bank account of something crazy may come across as funny to outsiders, but this is a problem that creates tragedies and breeds addiction. You got to give them credit for creativity and at the same time wonder how deep does the gap of addiction run.

 

Comments:

comments so far. Comments posted to EasyReaderNews.com may be reprinted in the Easy Reader print edition, which is published each Thursday.