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Wagering on Who Will Land Celebrity Interviews
By DAVID CARR
Published: November 24, 2003
In media circles, there is plenty of friendly wagering about which big-name journalist will obtain the first interview with Michael Jackson, and on the Web, there is a place willing to take on such bets.
The Web site, BeverlyHillsBookie.com, an offshore sports gambling site, began accepting what it called "Media Proposition" bets this fall. When Pfc. Jessica Lynch was very much in demand, the site posted odds about who would be the first TV journalist to talk to the rescued soldier. The winner was Diane Sawyer of ABC News, a bit of an underdog on BeverlyHillsBookie.com, where she ranked fifth behind the likes of Katie Couric and Larry King.
Most Internet gambling is illegal under federal and state laws, but at this point those laws have had little control over offshore sites.
Visitors to the site can also wager whether it will be Katie, or Diane or some other first-name-basis television personality who will persuade Kobe Bryant, the Lakers star accused of sexual assault, to tell his side of the story to the camera. Bob Costas and Barbara Walters are the clear favorites, with bettors confronting odds of 1:2, while relative longshots like Pat O'Brien and Tom Brokaw would pay off 2:1 if they got the get.
"The competition for these interviews is fierce," a spokesman for the Web site, Kevin Mortesen, said. "We want to be integrated with the culture beyond sports, and we thought this would be a creative way to go about it."
With the books open on media topics, the possibilities boggle the mind: A bet on how long a new sitcom will last, or how many heads will roll on "The Sopranos.''
"There is a little bit of a tongue in cheek here," Mr. Mortesen said. "There is not a ton of action, because people are more interested in the Panthers and the Patriots than they are in Larry King or Stone Phillips."
What might be the ultimate interview?
"Bin Laden, although we aren't going to be taking odds on that," Mr. Mortesen said.
DAVID CARR
Wagering on Who Will Land Celebrity Interviews
By DAVID CARR
Published: November 24, 2003
In media circles, there is plenty of friendly wagering about which big-name journalist will obtain the first interview with Michael Jackson, and on the Web, there is a place willing to take on such bets.
The Web site, BeverlyHillsBookie.com, an offshore sports gambling site, began accepting what it called "Media Proposition" bets this fall. When Pfc. Jessica Lynch was very much in demand, the site posted odds about who would be the first TV journalist to talk to the rescued soldier. The winner was Diane Sawyer of ABC News, a bit of an underdog on BeverlyHillsBookie.com, where she ranked fifth behind the likes of Katie Couric and Larry King.
Most Internet gambling is illegal under federal and state laws, but at this point those laws have had little control over offshore sites.
Visitors to the site can also wager whether it will be Katie, or Diane or some other first-name-basis television personality who will persuade Kobe Bryant, the Lakers star accused of sexual assault, to tell his side of the story to the camera. Bob Costas and Barbara Walters are the clear favorites, with bettors confronting odds of 1:2, while relative longshots like Pat O'Brien and Tom Brokaw would pay off 2:1 if they got the get.
"The competition for these interviews is fierce," a spokesman for the Web site, Kevin Mortesen, said. "We want to be integrated with the culture beyond sports, and we thought this would be a creative way to go about it."
With the books open on media topics, the possibilities boggle the mind: A bet on how long a new sitcom will last, or how many heads will roll on "The Sopranos.''
"There is a little bit of a tongue in cheek here," Mr. Mortesen said. "There is not a ton of action, because people are more interested in the Panthers and the Patriots than they are in Larry King or Stone Phillips."
What might be the ultimate interview?
"Bin Laden, although we aren't going to be taking odds on that," Mr. Mortesen said.
DAVID CARR
