Weird things to bet on

Brits love to gamble; it’s just a fact of life. There of those us who regularly bet – on racehorses and football matches every Saturday, while even someone who’s never been to a bookies in their life will drop a few quid now and then. Whether it’s the Grand National, the FA Cup or the Six Nations, we love nothing more than having a flutter on the big sporting events.

But you don’t have to restrict yourself to betting on sport. Aside from gambling in casinos at games like roulette and blackjack there are a whole host of things you can place a small wager on. A quick look at some of the major bookmakers shows us what’s possible.

Politics

Think David Cameron’s a dead cert for the next General Election, or are you convinced Nigel Farage will pick up a seat or two? If you’re into politics and know a little about how it works, there are lots of different bets to place. From who’s going to win the next election to the next leader of the Labour Party, if you can think of something you’ll probably be able to bet on it.

Britain’s Got Talent

From dancing dogs to boy bands and dance acts there’s no shortage of things to bet on for the ITV show. Bars and Melody, Collabro and Paddy & Nico are among this year’s favourites. You don’t even have to watch it to bet on it – bonus!

Popes

The church may not be keen on gambling, but that doesn’t stop us from this long standing favourite of betting on the next pope. So if you think you know why Archbishop Angelo Scola has a better chance of being elected Holy See than Cardinal Sean O’Malley, why not put your money where your mouth is?

James Bond

Daniel Craig can’t do it forever so bookies are taking bets on who’ll be the next 007. James Bond bets just one part of a whole industry of movie-based gambling. Oscars are popular, while you can even bet on who will be killed off in the next Star Wars film.

Julian Assange

The Wikileaks founder is wanted all over the place but he’s been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for almost two years. Bets are being taken on when he’ll crack and be forced to leave. Paddy Power lets you bet on the timing of his release/escape and the method. Currently the outsiders are jetpack and hot air balloon, with the hot favourites are for the Australian to exit the embassy in either a British police car or in an Ecuadorians state car. You can even get on odds on his escaping via the diplomatic bag – probably not the most comfortable means of escape.