Quebec Says ‘No’ to Pope Betting

The Canadian province of Quebec has laid down the law.  Loto-Quebec will not be permitted to take bets on who will become the next Pope.

And the next Pope could very well be Canadian. 

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, from Quebec, was a favorite at a number of online bookmakers.

“Loto-Quebec has no intention to offer betting on the identity of the next pope,” said spokesman Jean-Pierre Roy. “I don’t think that’s what people would expect from a government organization.”

But Loto-Quebec will be taking wagers on the upcoming Oscars.  So why not the next Pope?  It’s not as if gamblers are going to be betting on when the current Pope Benedict is likely to pass away as he shocked the world this week by announcing his voluntary retirement.

“(But) betting on a religious event, we’re not sure that would be the best way to go,” Mr. Roy confessed.

Cardinal Ouellet’s favorite status is helping to generate gambling interests.

“The fact that a Quebec cardinal is in the running of course increases the [interest], and people may be asking whether we’ll offer it [betting] or not,” Mr. Roy said. “But we’ve done our thinking here and we have no intention of offering betting on such an event.”

-Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com