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Sweepstakes In Rome
Date: Apr 19, 2005
Contributor: Carmella Gourd
Pope sweepstakes 'bigger than the Oscars'
Gamblers have tipped German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as their runaway favourite to succeed Pope John Paul II in a global sweepstakes that one bookmaker said topped the Oscars.
A day before cardinals began a conclave to pick the next pontiff, Roman Catholic leaders were not showing their hands but punters were, and - for them - Ratzinger remained comfortably ahead in a four-man race to the papal throne.
Ratzinger, who turned 78 on Saturday, was the solid leader on three online betting boards, with Intertops giving him the shortest odds at 2-1.
But at his heels were two Italians and a Frenchman who has apparently been helped by prophecies circulating on the Internet. A step back but within striking distance were a Brazilian and Nigerian.
"There's enormous betting interest on the papal situation," said Graham Sharpe, spokesperson for British bookmakers William Hill.
Irish bookie Paddy Power said the first conclave in a quarter of a century was getting to be a bigger non-sporting betting event than the Oscar movie awards.
"This has been huge," Power said.
The veteran dean of cardinals who delivered the homily at John Paul's funeral, Ratzinger was a 3-1 favourite for Paddy Power and 7/2 at William Hill. The odds on the German had narrowed from 4-1 on Friday and 11-2 on Thursday.
A favourite of doctrinal conservatives, Ratzinger was expected to draw early support, but most Italian newspapers predicted he would not muster the requisite two-thirds majority.
French Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger was second for both
Paddy Power and William Hill. Power even gave 16-1 odds that Lustiger would choose Benedict as his papal name.
Few Vatican watchers believe Lustiger, former archbishop of Paris, has much chance, but Power linked the heavy betting on him to widespread talk on the Internet of various prophecies predicting a Jewish convert would one day become pope. Lustiger (78) was born Jewish and converted to Catholicism as a teenager.
Among the top four on all three lists were Italian Carlo Maria Martini and his successor as the archbishop of Milan, Dionigi Tettamanzi.
Rounding out the leading six were Nigeria's Francis Arinze and Claudio Hummes of Brazil.
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Sweepstakes