Paddy Power LLC has some eco-friendly egg on its face after a gaffe on one of its proposition bets cost the Irish bookmaker 10,000 euros – roughly $13,600. After listing a bet that Al Gore would be the next high profile American arrested – and not specifying if it would be Al Gore, the politician, or his son Al Gore III – Paddy Power felt obliged to credit the 50 people who had taken up the bet once the younger Gore was arrested July 4th.
“We got a good stoning thanks to the vice president’s son,” the company said in a statement.
The bookmaker often presents oddball wagers, or “props” as they are known. In June it offered 33-to-1 odds that President Bush would be arrested and 50-to-1 odds that Bill Gates would be busted by the feds. When the 24-year-old Gore, who works as an editor for GOOD magazine, was arrested with marijuana and non-prescribed prescription drugs, however, the bookmaker was definitely caught with its pants down.
The arrest came just days before the “Live Earth” series of concerts that the former vice president was promoting to spread awareness of global warning. Gore stated that his son would seek clinical treatment for addiction.
This was just one in a series of arrests for the high-profile son. In 2003 he was arrested for marijuana possession and as well has two driving arrests – one in 2002 for driving under the influence and one in 2000 for reckless driving.
