BREAKING NEWS

Bookmakers see three-cardinal race to be next Pope

By REUTERS

FEBRUARY 11, 2013 19:04

LONDON - British and Irish bookmakers ranked Nigeria's Cardinal Francis Arinze, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Canadian Marc Ouellet on Monday as favorites to lead the Roman Catholic Church, setting odds swiftly after Pope Benedict's shock resignation.

William Hill, Britain's largest bookmaker, offered odds of 3/1 against for Arinze, or a probability of 25 percent, while Ouellet and Turkson were priced at 7/2 against, meaning successful punters would win seven pounds for every two staked.

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power had the same three cardinals as leading contenders but placed Ouellet as favorite ahead of the two Africans. Britain's Ladbrokes narrowly made Turkson its initial frontrunner.

"I have been taking bets on the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury for as long as I care to remember," said William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe, denying that gambling on the papal succession was blasphemous.

"It's fair to say that this is the first papal punt to be decided in the full Internet betting era," he added, noting the growth of online gambling could make for a more lively market.

"It's not going to rival the Champions League (soccer) but it will produce enough turnover to make it worth doing."

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