William Hill offers Odds against Man on Mars
The British company William Hill, one of the largest bookmakers
worldwide, is offering odds of 50 to 1 against man walking on Mars
before December 31, 2030. It is not known whether US President George
W. Bush has taken the bet.
President George W. Bush, said Wednesday "We will build new
ships to carry man forward into the universe, to gain a new foothold
on the moon and prepare for new journeys to the worlds beyond our
own". Bush wants man back on the moon as early as 2015, and
use the moon as a launching platform for manned missions to Mars.
Apparently William Hill is not as confident as the US President,
because besides the 50 to 1 odds it's offering against man on Mars,
it's also offering 10 to 1 odds against man returning to the Moon
before December 31, 2015,
Ironically, William Hill offered 1,000 to 1 odds in the early sixties
against a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. Since Neil
Armstrong became the first man on the Moon in 1969, William Hill
paid out £10,000 to David Threlfall for a single £10
bet. William Hill must have learned from their experience, because
they lowered the odds from 1,000/1 to 10/1.