Loto-Quebec Out of Pope Betting Race
The next Pope to inherit St. Peter's chair may very well be a Quebecer, but Loto-Quebec, the provincial lottery corporation of Canada's Quebec province, says that it won't be offering any next Pope betting odds.
Betting on Religious Matters
In a statement made by Loto-Quebec last week, Jean-Pierre Roy said: "Loto-Quebec has no intention to offer betting on the identity of the next pope. I don't think that's what people would expect from a government organization."
The lottery corporation acknowledged that it has opened up betting markets on the 85th Annual Academy Awards, due to be held on February 24th, but said that it would not expand its novelty platform beyond that type of betting for now.
"Betting on a religious event - we're not sure that would be the best way to go," said Roy.
Betting on Canadian as Next Pope
Meanwhile, offshore betting groups such as Ladbrokes.com have rolled out multiple betting markets on the next Pope, and Canadians are backing their local man, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who is a strong favorite to get the job.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the 68 year old native of La Motte, Quebec, is a serious contender to replace Pope Benedict XVI, who announced recently his immediate retirement.
Ladbrokes.com has made Cardinal Ouellet its second favourite with odds of 7/2, behind their top man, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson who carries odds of 3/1, and betting on the Pope is a popular pastime among Ladbrokes customers.
"The fact that a Quebec Cardinal is in the running of course increases the interest and people may be asking whether we'll offer betting or not," said Loto-Quebec's Roy. "But we've done our thinking here and we have no intention of offering betting on such an event."
Quebecers and other Canadians wanting to show their support for Cardinal Ouellet can do so at Ladbrokes, with odds as follows:
Next Pope Betting Odds at Ladbrokes
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson - 3/1
Marc Ouellet - 7/2
Angelo Scola - 4/1
Francis Arinze, Tarciscio Bertone - 7/1
Leonardo Sandr - 8/1
Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Gianfranco Ravasi - 14/1
Angelo Bagnasco, Odilio Pedro Scherer -16/1
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Claudio Hummes, Christoph Schoenborn, Antonio Tagle, Peter Erdo, 25/1
