They are betting on the war

Thousands of online gamblers are logging onto Internet bookmakers, where they can place a bet on when United States will attack Iraq.

At www.betonsports.com, winning bets that the war starts next week would pay off 2-to-1; the week after, 1.5-to-1.

As it stands now 4,400 people have wagered about $250,000 at BETonSPORTS on this and other Iraq matters.

Many have suggested it’s inapropriate to wager on war, because of the suffering involved. Therefore many have indeed complained to Rhodes Scholar Josh Chafetz in Oxford, England about a pool on war on his web site posted with an apology which read. 'I most certainly did not mean to trivialize war or the suffering that it will cause.'

War betting is not a new concept. Before the current crisis BETonSPORTS took wagers on when US would go to war next. Carruthers said he does not think it is inappropriate as long as it’s within certain boundaries. 'I wouldn't put up a bet on how many casualties there will be,' he added.

At www.marchtowar.com, an online pool was organized to help victims of war. Better can put $5 on the day and time the war starts and the winner will get 20% of the pool. The remainder will go to humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians said Tad Hirsch a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student and organizer of the pool.

At BETonSPORTS some Iraqi bets pay as much as 150-to-1. However to get those odds you will need a pretty fantastic scenario. One of the more interesting ones is Hussein touring with Elton John.

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