Big Bucks for Bettors on Kate Middleton's Royal Baby
June 11, 2013 — -- Will Kate Middleton have a Caesarean or a natural birth?
Will the baby's hair be "ginger," like Uncle Harry, or blond like late grandma Diana?
Will the baby be named something with sufficient gravitas -- say, Elizabeth or George -- or will the hip, young parents choose a more offbeat moniker (Moon Unit, anyone?)
And, perhaps most importantly, will the baby arrive before or after Kim Kardashian's new bundle of joy?
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Those are some of the pressing questions on the minds of royal watchers -- and gamblers -- worldwide. And they're hoping that the chips will fall in their favor.
Betting on the offspring of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, began "the second we found out that she was with child," in December 2012, said Rupert Adams, a spokesperson for William Hill, one of the largest bookmakers in the U.K.
After Middleton was admitted to the hospital with severe morning sickness, rumors began circulating that she was having twins. Immediately, "we had a market out there saying it was 33 to 1 that she was having twins," said Adams.
Then there was "D-Gate" -- that is, when Middleton may or may not have said, 'I'll take a teddy for my d--," during a conversation with a fan in March.
"Every single bet was that it's a girl," said Hill.
He doesn't necessarily buy it, however.
"She might have meant 'dog,'" he said.
Bets have also been placed on the date the child will be born, with July 13 a favorite (10-1 odds), and the baby's weight (8 pounds). There have also been debates on whether Middleton will be, as Adams so delicately put it, "too posh to push."
"She's favored to have a C-section," he said.
