Snow is falling in Europe and the US and this year and the odds for a White Christmas in the UK are the lowest they have been for decades. However, there seems to be a bit of a dispute arising! See the article from Martin Wainwright from The Guardian UK, below:
Bookies braced for storm over 'white Christmas'Definition of the white stuff likely to be trigger for gambling rows as odds slip on new falls for 25th
Does this holly bear new snow, or old, melting, snow? Bookies could face many betting arguments in the new year.
Lawyers could be busy in the new year if disputes arise between bookies and punters over defining a "white Christmas". The phrase made famous by Bing Crosby will be pored over if the day itself bears out the forecasts: that much of Britain will be snowbound but seeing no fresh falls. Payouts in almost all "mass betting" offers on seasonal snow are based on the odds of the white stuff actually coming down, rather than just lying around from previous showers.
Graham Sharpe, of William Hill, said yesterday: "The market would be killed off if you could win a bet just because there's some slush from four days ago."
But Britain's whiteness, seemingly sealed in by sub-zero temperatures next week, does threaten to put the issue into a different league. Wind flurries and "snow" that is really thick frost falling from trees, could complicate things.
The weather has led to bookies being "inundated" with "white Christmas" bets; William Hill has taken more than 10,000. The firm's spokesman, Rupert Adams, said today that the pressure had tilted Scotland's main cities into odds-on for snow falling, with evens for Birmingham and Manchester, and London at 5/4 against. "If it snows on every city we bet on, there's a real chance the infamous industry 'million pound payout' will happen."
Undoubtedly, two-thirds or more of the UK will be "white". For falling snow, Metcheck offers 10% for London and 30% as far north as Aberdeen.
Snow's always been good for litigation. Most famously there were largely unresolved rows over whether flakes did fall on a series of 20th century cricket matches in "flaming June".
Come on William Hill - where's your Christmas spirit!!
Just Brilliant!!
P.S. Thank you to my lovely friend Tim Lynch for the fab photo of the robin at the top of this post!
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