You Bet On What? Novelty Bets

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe.

Fancy A Flutter?

Here's a selection of a few strange and unusual bets.

• Reports of a new type of bingo have appeared on the BBC. Ferret Bingo involves punters betting on which of seven numbered drainpipes the ferrets will use to escape from a barrel.
• After Tim Henman's latest Wimbledon appearance bookmakers were reported to have taken bets at 250/1 on his two-year-old daughter Rosie to one day take the Wimbledon crown.
• Bookmakers have offered odds of 500-1 on the discovery of the Loch Ness Monster, 2000-1 on Michael and LaToya Jackson proving to be the same person, and 1000-1 on the second coming.
• Gerbil roulette has featured on satellite TV. The aim is to bet on which of eight gerbil houses the creature will run into after being spun around on a platform.
• Those who want a change from betting on the horses might fancy a flutter on the World Championship Rattlesnake Races held in Texas. However, Graham Sharpe warns potential punters to bear in mind the rules, which include: "Any contestant mishandling a snake, or getting snake-bitten, is automatically disqualified."
• Several Filipino children are reported to have died of poisonous spider bites during the 1980s, when a craze for betting on the outcome of fights between spiders took hold.
• A hermit is reported to have bet Venezuelan villagers that he could hypnotise and tame a wild jaguar. The animal savaged him to death.
• Betting on scorpion fights held on saucers is reportedly popular among gamblers in the Middle East.
• Television programmes are another popular source of novelty bets, with bookmakers offering odds on the likelihood of the Queen Vic changing its name and a lesbian wedding taking place on EastEnders.

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