-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,40113,00.html Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,40113,00.html"> Who Won? Bookies Don't Care</A> ----- Who Won? Bookies Don't Care by Joanna Glasner 12:15 p.m. Nov. 10, 2000 PST An ocean away from this most chaotic spectacle that is the U.S. presidential election, operators of a prominent British political betting house are enjoying the show. "To be brutally honest, we don't really mind. We make money regardless of which of them wins," said Graham Sharpe, spokesman for William Hill International, a Yorkshire bookmaker that takes wagers on electoral races and sporting events. For the dead-heat presidential race of 2000, the bookmaker collected $750,000 in bets over a period of more than two years. On the eve of Election Day, the final tally placed Texas Gov. George W. Bush as the favorite. The way the spread worked at the close of betting, a $2 bet placed on Bush would pay back just $3 if he won, while the same amount bet on Gore would pay back $5. Whatever the outcome, the bookmaker gets a small cut of the overall proceeds. Of course, the only problem with that scenario thus far is there hasn't been an outcome. Officials at William Hill -- which collected nearly a third of its wagers from online bettors, mostly based in the U.S. -- are still about as clueless as a Florida election supervisor about when it will actually make a payout. Sharpe says he's hoping election officials will declare a winner next week, at which time the bookmaker expects to pay the winning betters. He said the bookmaker almost certainly won't wait for a pending Democratic Party lawsuit over a controversial ballot to wind its way through the court system. In the meantime, the betting house has received numerous complaints from bettors impatiently waiting to collect their winnings. "We told people to please address your complaints to the White House and not to us," Sharpe said. Despite the nefarious qualities routinely attributed to bookmakers, he said: "This time even we can't be blamed for having manipulated the outcome of the U.S. election." While presidential-election betting is over, submissions are on the rise for some other long-term political wagers. The odds for a long-shot bet on whether First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will eventually become president have narrowed from 50 to 1 to 5 to 1 in the months leading up to her election as New York senator. Meanwhile, Sharpe said he believes the turmoil of Election 2000 -- while not a great image-booster for the U.S. democratic process -- certainly makes for exciting betting. "People are just looking at the spectacle of something so completely unexpected," he said. "Here's the most powerful democracy in the world, and it could all hinge on a few votes someone may have left behind a door or something." Have a comment on this article? Send it. Printing? Use this version. E-mail this to a friend. Feedback | Help | About Us | Jobs | Advertise Editorial Policy | Privacy Statement | Terms and Conditions Copyright � 2000 Wired Digital Inc., a Lycos Network site. All rights reserved. ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
