Harry Potter frenzy

Potter fanatics bet on who will die in final book

BY DWAYNE STEWARD
Newsday
Entertainment reporter
July 17, 2007

Harry Potter fanatics are rounding the bend this week as they cast online bets predicting who will die in the seventh novel.

William Hill, a British online sports betting site, stopped taking bets earlier this month after it was flooded with disproportionate wagers. The betting was at 33-1 for Potter's downfall before Hill pulled the plug.

Instead, the Web site decided to take bets on how Potter would meet his demise. Most Hill gamblers are betting he'll take his own life. Hill also has Harry Potter's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, at odds of 9-4 for killing the boy wizard.

After author J.K. Rowling announced the possible death of two characters last year, enthusiasts and bookers were off, plotting whom the unlucky pair would be.

WagerWeb.com and SportsInterAction.com soon added their hands to the firestorm, taking bets for or against the hero's survival. WagerWeb closed betting after 451 bets were cast, but the online bookmaker is considering taking more bets because requests continue to pour in, said spokesman Dan Grody.

WagerWeb listed 19 pairs of characters for clients to cast wagers, eight of which included Potter. Payouts range from $100 to $4,000.

Fifty-three percent of WagerWeb gamblers predict it will be Potter and Voldemort who meet their ends, followed by Potter and Snape, with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley as the third likeliest to die.