This year's betting pool is very simple: tell me who the next pope is going to be.
The bet is $5. You may bet as many times as you like, and you may place multiple bets on the same person. 100% of your bet will go into the pot. When the pope is elected, the winner takes the pot. (I, the house, take nothing -- unless my pick, Cardinal Schönborn, wins!)
If there are multiple winners, the winners split the pot. The split is based on the number of bets placed by each winner. For example, if the pot is $100, and Bob placed one bet ($5) on the correct pope, while Alice placed four bets on the correct pope ($20), then Bob will have won $20 (1/5th of the pot), while Alice will have won $80 (4/5th of the pot).
If no one wins, all money will be returned. Just give me a couple weeks to do it; it takes time to look up receipts and fire money back where it came from.
While we support PayPal betting (below), you may also just give me cash if you happen to see me in person. The one thing we will not accept is an I.O.U. If you want to win real money from the pot, you've got to put real money into it.
For a few specially prepared hot tips on who might emerge with the white smoke at next month's conclave, step right up to our Guide to the 2013 Papabile (.doc format, 5 pages) (also here as a GoogleDoc). That document will tell you a little bit about each of the eighteen cardinals who are believed most likely to be given the papal cross. I spent a few days researching the cardinals and putting that together, so please enjoy.
Betting ends when the conclave starts. Don't be caught out in the cold! It could start any day after February 28th... so don't put it off! Bet now!
How To Place Your Bet: Select the number of bets you would like to place from the dropdown menu. Type the name of the person you are betting on. Click "Pay Now" and follow the on-screen instructions. Yes, we take credit! (If you are betting on multiple persons, do them one at a time.)
For updates on the betting as it proceeds, watch this space! I'll try to keep it updated daily.
Last Updated: 12 Mar 2013 17:54
Papal Candidate Money Bet Cardinal Francis Arinze $10 Cardinal Tarcsio Bertone $5 Cardinal Raymond Burke $5 Cardinal Timothy Dolan $10 Cardinal Péter Erdo $5 Archbishop Rino Fisichella $5 Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga $10 Cardinal Marc Ouellet $20 Cardinal William Pell $5 Cardinal Christoph Schönborn $20 Cardinal Leonardo Sandri $5 Cardinal Odilo Scherer $5 Cardinal Angelo Scola $40 Cardinal Peter Turkson $10 TOTAL POT $155
BETTING IS CLOSED: Go watch the conclave instead!