Punters Going Potto For The Lotto

Bookmakers William Hill continue to be inundated with requests from punters looking to place bets with odds of 76,000,000/1, to help visualise their chances of becoming the proud owner of £125,000,000 should they win the Euromillions on Friday night.

Requests Include Laurence Hewings (44) from Shepherds Bush who contacted William Hill wanting to place a bet on himself being struck by lightning, something he felt was far more likely that winning the Euromillions. William Hill have accepted the bet of £10 at odds of 1000/1. "This is definitely one of the strangest requests that we have received and is up there with Arthur King (92) who backed himself to die within six months of placing his bet. But as he came to us, we decided to offer him odds of 1000/1.

Considering the bet is open for his lifetime and that US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimate Lightning strikes the earth 20 million times a year he could strike it lucky!" said William Hill's spokesman Rupert Adams.

1000/1 is well away from the biggest odds to date that William Hill have ever offered, which was 20,000,000-1 that Elvis would crash land a UFO on top of the Loch Ness Monster (placed by a postman from Glasgow) or the 15,000,000 William Hill offered the late Screaming Lord Sutch (leader of the Monster Raving Loony Party) that he would become Prime Minister.

William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said: "The only things we might offer odds of 76 million to one about are the world ending on a specific date and perhaps Chantelle becoming the next permanent England football manager! In theory it would be all but impossible to collect the winnings for the end of the world as heaven would be hell for bookies as no-one would ever lose."

William Hill predict that £100,000,000 will be wagered with them during the World Cup this year with £250,000,000 wagered industry wide on the Grand National last year.

Meanwhile William Hill have unveiled a list of events which they believe to have a 1 million to one chance of happening on or before Dec 31st 2010.

DAVID Beckham to be England manager and win the World Cup with Brooklyn Beckham scoring the winning goal and Romeo Beckham coming on as substitute.

Chantelle to marry Prince Harry and become Queen.

UK temperature to hit 100F - on Christmas Day (2006)

TONY BLAIR to join Lib Dems and become first man to be Prime Minister for two different Parties.

A manned expedition to Mars to arrive and discover the Loch Ness Monster there.

UFO containing intelligent extra-terrestrial life forms to land outside Number 10 Downing Street and abduct current PM.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richard to announce that they will continue touring after cloning themselves and renaming band Rolling Clones.

Tony Blair to marry David Cameron in a civil ceremony