Russian Bookmaker Offers 100,000 Euros for Paul The Octopus
A prognosticating octopus correctly picked all the winners of specified World Cup games including Serbia’s shock win over favored Germany and Spain’s World Cup final win.
And now a Russian bookmaker is willing to pay big bucks for the octopus.
"100,000 euros (about $129,800) was our starting price," Oleg Zhuravsky, co-owner of Liga Stavok -- "Bet League" in Russian -- told CNN in regard to Paul the Octopus. He said the offer could be increased if need be -- "We are bookmakers, after all."
Paul currently lives at the Sea Life Center in Oberhausen, Germany. Zhuravsky said a representative of the center's public relations firm has told him the offer has been received and "they are studying it."
However, the firm, Dederichs Reinecke and Parner, said it declined the Russian offer and that Paul will not be sold to anyone.
"Seriously speaking, we want the octopus for a number of purposes," Zhuravsky said. "First, to see whether he can indeed effectively forecast the results of the football games. Secondly, Paul could become a good mascot, a good symbol for my bookmaking companies. And thirdly, he has an international fame like perhaps no other animal across the world does these days, and I'd love to be able to move him to Russia.
"Both kids and adults, I'm sure, would love to see him here," he said. "We are even prepared to put him in the Moscow City Aquarium if that were the condition."
The bookmaker insisted to CNN that Paul would be given "the best food" and treatment while being asked to forecast the results for the Russian domestic football tournament.
"This would also boost the profile of the Moscow Aquarium, Zhuravsky said. “They said they'll respond to our offer this week. They didn't tell us that they're not selling the octopus."
Last week, the Madrid, Spain, aquarium said it was making the "necessary arrangements" for Paul's transfer to Spain but had offered to beat any offer already on the table.
“Paul The Octopus” and variations of that search term became one of the most inquired about throughout the second half of the 2010 World Cup tournament as monitored by Gambling911.com.
Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
