Betting on the next Pope
Bono for Pope

Bono for Pope – and some more sensible bets open as Benedict XVI resigns.

Less than an hour after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI hit the news, Irish bookmakers Paddy Power published their list of candidates for the papacy, along with the odds. UK sports betting and gaming company Ladbrokes were only a few minutes behind with their own list.

The favorites were the same on both lists, with Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana mentioned in first place (9/4 at Paddy Power, 5/2 at Ladbrokes). He was followed by Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet (5/2 and 3/1), with a Cardinal from Nigeria, Francis Arinze coming in third (7/2 and 4/1).

The order is of course changing with every new development, so at the time of writing Cardinal Ouellet has moved to first position, followed by Cardinals Arinze and Turkson.

The new pontiff is expected to be elected within a month after February 28, the day when Pope Benedict’s resignation takes effect, so punters have a couple of weeks left to plop down in front of their PCs or grab their mobiles and start betting.

There has been widespread speculation among observers that subsequent to the current Pope the Vatican office would be filled by an African pontiff. That would make both Turkson and Arinze prime candidates.

Possibilities of course abound.

It may well happen that a Latin American is chosen to lead the world’s Catholics, considering the size of the church in that geographic area. Such a decision could see Argentinean Cardinal Leonardo Sandri (5/1) crowned with the Papal Tiara.

It may just happen that after two non-Italians at the helm, the church will return to its long-held tradition of selecting Italians to sit on Saint Peter’s throne. Angelo Scola, Archbishop of Venice (7/1) is being mentioned as a possible winner in that case.

While this is not exactly sports betting and not quite a race, the wide variety of outcomes and the possibility of surprise decisions make this betting an exciting one. And we should add that it just doesn’t happen every day.

When deciding which of the outcomes to wager on, punters can rely on a wide range of opinions and analyses. There is even the so called Prophecy of the Popes, attributed to Saint Malachy, which indicates that the next pope will be called Peter. So, that’s another vote for Cardinal Turkson, if someone believes in such predictions.

And if after all the opinions – or because of them – one is still confused about the best bet, they can just grab their iPhones and put their money on Bono at odds of 500/1!