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Funny Bets: The Most Unusual Bets Ever Made
By GamblersPick Mar 22, 2020When we think of betting, we usually think of sports events. In fact, you can bet on the strangest things. We take a look at some unusual and funny bets.Gambling and betting are huge industries in the United States. In 2019, it averaged out to $261 gambled per American adult. We think of sports betting and casinos as where most Americans place their bets, but it's far from the only things that we like to bet on.
Every so often in the history of gambling, you find weird bets and funny bets that have somehow come good for the gambler. Other times, you find strange bets that didn't win but are still noteworthy for their weirdness. We're experts in the field of gambling and can show you how to win, but some of these weird bets leave even us bemused.
Ready to take a look at some of the most novel betting that's ever been done around the world? Then keep reading and happy gaming!
When UK Gamblers Bet On the World Ending
Think back to 2012: Barack Obama was reelected, Curiosity landed on Mars, and Hurricane Sandy tore through New York and New Jersey. All of these were large events, but some believed that there was an even bigger event coming at the end of the year. They believed that the Mayans predicted the world would end in 2012.
As it turns out, they were wrong (who would have thought). Yet that didn't stop some UK bookmakers from taking bets that the world would indeed end on December 21st. People did bet on this too, at odds of 5000/1.
Quite how they would have claimed their winnings if the four horsemen of the apocalypse had rearer their heads is less than obvious.
When a Man Bet Everything He Owned
We might joke about betting it all, but how many of us would have the guts to go through with it? One British gambler called Ashley Revell did in 2004 and ended up winning big. The subject of a TV documentary called Double or Nothing, Mr. Revell sold all of his possessions including his clothes and headed to Las Vegas.
There, he put it all: £76,840 on a single spin of the roulette wheel. He bet on red and it came up. He walked away with a cool £153,860, or £238,007 in today's money. In dollars, that's just under $300K.
Not a bad win, but it's not something that we'd recommend you attempt.
The Bet That Produced a Classic Book
Friendly wagers between friends are common around the world but few result in a classic children's book being produced. In 1960, one Theodor Geisel wagered that he could write a book that used 50 unique words or fewer. The bet was for $50.
The only thing was that Geisel had a trick up his sleeve: he was Dr. Seuss.
The result of this bet was the legendary children's book Green Eggs and Ham, which has gone on to be one of the most popular children's books ever written. While you could say that Geisel had the last laugh, it didn't all turn out badly for the other party. The person who wagered with Geisel was Bennet Cerf, the co-founder of Random House, which published the book.
A Collection of Fruitful Funny Bets
How confident are you in your predictions for the future? Would you like to put money down on them? That's just what one Welsh gambler did back in 1989.
We don't know his identity, but what we do know is that he bet £30 on five different things. His bets were:
➀ The TV shows Eastenders, Home and Away, and Neighbours, would all still be on air in the year 2000
➁ That U2 would still be together by the same year
➂ That the singer Cliff Richard would get a knighthood by the same year
The odds of all of these funny bets coming to fruition? A huge 6479/1 according to the UK bookmaker Ladbrokes. A whole 11 years later, he walked back into the bookmakers and claimed his winnings of £194,400, or $320,000.
Wife-Carrying
It's said that if you can think of something, you can bet on it. Well, this one sport is certainly not well-known, but it's a much-loved favorite of some Irish gamblers. The Finnish sport has become somewhat famous in Ireland and Irish gamblers have been betting on it ever since.
What does the sport involve? Well, it's as it says on the tin. A man needs to carry his wife or another woman over a 277-yard obstacle course: the first couple to finish are the winners.
Obstacles include a three-foot water obstacle. Would you fancy a go at this sport? We wouldn't, personally, but we wouldn't be averse to putting some money down on this entertaining and unique sport.
A Cardinal Sin
Betting and religion don't typically go hand-in-hand, so what about betting on religion? Or rather, how about betting on a certain event in the religious calendar? If you're familiar with the workings of the Catholic Church, then you can place one of the most unusual bets around: betting on the next pope.
While Pope Francis is still alive and kicking (or rather, preaching), you can place bets on which cardinal will take his place after his death. It must make watching for the white smoke feel like spinning a roulette wheel.
Bets On the Hermit Kingdom
North Korea doesn't seem like suitable gambling grounds, yet bookmakers have been giving odds on a variety of topics related to Kim Jong-Un. You can bet on when the dictator will no longer be in power, why he will no longer be in power, and even if he will challenge Donald Trump to a round of golf.
We imagine you could also put a bet on who'd win that same game of golf.
Would You Rather Bet On Something Traditional?
We've shown you funny bets from across history, but if you're aching for some less weird bets and something more traditional, take a look around our site. We've got guides and information about games including poker, slots, and blackjack.
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