Royal baby name? 500-to-1 odds on ‘Macbeth’

Guessing what the newly announced royal baby’s name or hair color might be isn’t just a fun diversion. In Britain, it’s a way to make money. The Brits bet on everything. Soccer matches. The weather. Last year, more than $24 million in bets were placed on baby George and the gamblers were quick to get in on the action with Will and Kate’s latest scion.

“If there’s one thing that baby George taught us it’s that the British public love a punt on a Royal offspring and we’re bracing ourselves for another baby betting bonanza,” British bookmaker Paddy Power said in a statement. “Money is already pouring in by the ‘pram load’ and we expect this to be the biggest novelty betting market of the year.”

For Derek Hornby, the inspiration to bet on the new royal baby came in a dream. But it wasn’t his. “My daughter, she had a dream three months ago,” said the 63-year-old flower deliverer from Wigan, about 20 miles west of Manchester. “‘I think there’s going to be a royal baby,” he recalled her saying.

After the official announcement, he started to pay attention to another dream she’d been having. It was of the name, “Alice.” So he went down to the local William Hill bookmaking office, past all the other punters betting on soccer matches, and placed a bet. The odds are currently 25-1 on “Alice.” If his daughter is again right, he’ll make back 50 pounds on his original bet of 2 pounds.

source: Today