The next hyped number is 2012. Of course that’s a crock. So I should be able to bet against those who fall for the hype. But how, where? And would the odds make it worth it? I mean will anyone who thinks the world will end be doing any betting? Doesn’t make sense they would, being unable to collect. But on the other hand they are not sensible people.
How can I find out if someone in Vegas or London is making book on this?
How do you plan to explain how you’ll pay up if they’re right?
The Large Hadron Collider experiment last year attracted some financial speculation from punters who thought it might provoke the end of the world.
William Hill took £119 in bets on the eventuality, the largest of which was £20. For the first time in their history, the bookmakers allowed punters to name their own price. Although the advertised chance was 1,000,000/1, if this seemed a little short you could ask for 2,000,000/1. Or 20,000,000/1. Or bigger. And get it.
It is unclear how these punters expected to collect their winnings if the LHC had destroyed the planet. It’s quite possible that a few of them just wanted a betting slip to show their friends in the pub on a Friday night. (“Look at this lads! I’ve got £20 at 100,000,000,000,000/1 the world goes tits up next Tuesday. If it does, I’ll get the drinks in.”)
It is unlikely that any layers will offer a price on the world not ending in 2012. Even if they do, you would need to bet a very, very large sum of money to win even £1.
Give them a loan at very high interest (and some really good collateral). If the world is destroyed, they get a bunch of mad-money to spend their last days with. If the world survives, they’ll be stuck paying you back or loosing their collateral.
Forgive the hijack.
What is it with loosing for losing? I’ve seen it too often on these boards and elsewhere on the net to imagine it’s always a typo. Is it simply a common misspelling or some strange American variant spelling? And how would the real *loosing *be spelled? Looosing?
Righty tighty- Lefty loosing. Grip that cock a little tighter!
Just a typo in my case, anyways. I’m a terrible speller, but the browsers spell-check catches most of my worst sins. However due to whatever odd mental quirk, I occasionally replace words with homophones (I do their=there=they’re and two=too=to a lot to) when I’m writing quickly, and obviously the spell-check doesn’t catch that.
Never sure why, I know the correct word if I stop and think about it, but I was never able to train myself to write the correct word when I’m just writing quickly off the cuff (as I usually am in internet postings)
Anyhoo , NO! and this should not be in GQ.
Not junior moding here.
It annoys me as well, but it’s hardly the end of the world.
I saw what you did there!
Just go ahead and pay them your share so they can spend it before the world ends. If it doesn’t, they owe you that and more.
Can’t you profit betting against those believers by making yourself the beneficiary of good works performed by apocolyptic Christians? That is, find people who are doing good works specifically because they think the world is about to end and they will be magically rewarded for their works afterwards, and find some way to benefit personally from the work they are doing. They should not want any payment from you, because you’re not the one they think is rewarding them.
Regardless of what they may say, I don’t think many people really believe the world will end in 2012. This will be evidenced by their behavior approaching the date.
If you believe it to your core, why not go out and blow your life’s savings that year having wild orgies and whatever else you want to do? Well, if people believed it they would. But even stupid people realize at some level that it just might not happen, and then they’re gonna be in a hell of a spot. So they simply won’t, and life will go on as normal.
I dont see why not. Rent a webserver on a country with liberal gambling laws. Setup 2012bet.com. Have people bet against you. Say you’ll match any bet. Afterall, if they are right they never have to pay you as everyone will die, so in theory they should be able to bet all they have. Collect payment via escrow before 2012 of course. Enjoy your millions. Please share some with me if you do it.
I fully agree with this. Credulous people entertain the idea and wrap it up in their own biases. They think ‘SEE BIG THINGS ARE GONNA HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME. IM NOT A FORGOTTEN PERSON IN HISTORY. I AM A SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE.’ This is also the motivator in religious based end world times, although its usually mixed in with something about how bad mankind is or somesuch. In that case these people are not only special snowflakes but also righteous special snowflakes.
This guy is probably making some money: http://postrapturepost.com/
I think you can sell books maps and DVDs explaining exactly where to go and where to sit, and exactly what people should do with their worldly goods to prepare. People that gullible like specifics. Tell them they have to be asset free to get into heaven, and your charity will take care of the details. And tell them in the chance event the Mayans are wrong that your charity will gladly refund 10% so they can wait for the next end of the world.
Wow. Wow. I am in complete and total awe. This quotes the home page of the site:
“The answer is simple. The creators of this site are Atheists. That’s right, we don’t believe in God.”
In my most cynical moment it would never have occurred to me to be completely honest about my con when addressing my intended marks. And yet, to do so completely glistens with insightful perfection.
Machiavelli is no longer my idol. I have found another…
Sounds like a cheap way to talk to your sinner friends after the rapture.
Only $4.99, $9.99, or $799.99 for express parchment messages.
If you don’t believe that much, then how can you claim to believe in rapture at all?
I like the idea of selling post-rapture services to nutters.
I can promise to shoot their wedding photo albums into space so the UPS angels can find them and deliver them. A fine print clause notes that if not enough nutters sign up then I won’t build the rocket but will instead use the albums as mulch in my turnip patch. Nutters only hear the spiel, they don’t fuss with fine print.