Please don't ever say that sports betting community doesn’t have a very healthy sense of humor....even if they're not too healthy themselves.
Recent reports came over the wire about a man named Jon Matthews who, knowing he was terminally ill, won a bet with an overseas bookmaker that he would see the first day of June.
Before we go any further, please keep in mind, even though they are about the same age, this is NOT the same Jon Matthews who, while a Texas radio talk-show host, was convicted five years ago for exposing himself to an 11-year-old child and who later got arrested again for violating the terms of his probation.
No, THIS Jon Matthews is a much better guy and much more fun than that, even in his twilight years. Or "year," as it were.
Matthews was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer back in April of 2006. Twelve months ago he made a bet with the bookmaker that he would still be around by this time, even though a doctor had told him, "Don't make plans for Christmas."
He got odds of 50/1, and the Britisher bet 100 pounds.
So Christmas 2008 came early for him; his payoff is 5000 pounds (the equivalent of USD $9873), and he couldn't be happier for a guy who's going to be "catching a cab" soon.
I knew when I saw this story that I had to spearhead an initiative in this vein (not the jugular, mind you) for my clients at BetUS sportsbook.
Admittedly though, I feel queasy about going down this kind of road with the terminally ill (after all, I AM a U.S. presidential candidate, for heaven's sake - oops, pardon the expression), but I don't see anything wrong with doing it in a more “virtual” manner.
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