Tuesday, April 30, 2019 ~ BC.
~ West Shore Voice News
Now that it’s the month of May in the UK, anyone who bet that the upcoming new British royal baby would be born in April has lost that bet. (UK time is 8 hours ahead of Pacific Time; they are presently on ‘British Summer Time’ while BC is on ‘Pacific Daylight Time’).
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex — Harry and Meghan — revealed many months ago that their first child would be due “in the spring”.
As of this afternoon April 30 in BC, the BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) ‘sports novelty pool’ for betting on the arrival of the first child of the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was still showing Diana as the favourite name for a girl (after Harry’s mother the late Princess Diana), with Grace and then Alice as the three top names — top picks both for a girl’s name and overall. The fourth most popular name is Arthur. For a boy baby the next two most popular names are Charles and James.
Other betting categories include the baby’s gender, day of the week, birthweight (currently most bets are in the 8 lb range), whether there will be twins or triplets.
Who the godparents will be is a hot item. Top pick is Charlie Van Straubenzee — a childhood friend of Harry’s and for whom Harry was best man last summer with his new duchess at his side (Harry and Meghan married in May 2018), followed by Canadian fashion and media personalities Jessica and Ben Mulroney (Jessica was instrumental in first connecting Meghan with Harry), and then Prince William and Kate (a natural choice within the family). Actor George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney who is a human rights lawyer are the international star pick (fifth most popular pick). Charles Spencer — brother of the late Princess Diana — is ninth on the godparent popularity list.
This sort of novelty pool tends to draw in people who don’t normally place sports bets online, says BCLC rep Greg Paolini Manager, Enterprise Sports. He says it’s not huge for revenues, but attracts a different level of interest.
Bets started in March then slowed down in April, but started picking up again last week, as the baby’s arrival becomes imminent. Apparently it will be announced by Buckingham Palace as to when Meghan goes into labour, but it may take a few days for Harry and Meghan to appear in public with their first child, apparently choosing a more private approach.
The new baby will be seventh in line to the throne after Prince Charles, Prince William, the three children of Prince William and Kate (Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis), and the baby’s father Prince Harry.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby will not be a prince nor a princess unless the Queen makes a special declaration for that.
“Sports betting is public domain.It’s standard on many websites across Europe,” says Paolini. “It’s not a big revenue generator but does introduce our products to new people who are looking for a fun way to get involved.”
“This one hasn’t been promoted heavily,” said the BCLC rep. Politics and entertainment bets are naturally popular including the Trump election in 2016, the Oscars every year, and this year Game of Thrones. Active promotions tend to be more highly pushed for big-dollar sports events like the Stanley Cup, says Paolini.
Here’s where to place your bets on the new royal baby: https://www.playnow.com/sports/other-sports/novelty/royal-specials