Age 100 proves a smart bet for British man

LONDON -- A man who 10 years ago bet he would live to be 100 collected $50,000 this week from his bookie.

Alec Holden, a retired engineer who plays chess every day, told the BBC that at age 90 he was feeling as if he "was going to live forever," so he went to the bookmaking firm William Hill and placed his bet, 100 British pounds, or about $200 today. The oddsmakers sized him up, thought it unlikely, and gave him 250-to-1 odds.

In the days before his 100th birthday Tuesday, Holden said, he was extra careful .

Talking before heading off on vacation, Holden attributed his long life to not worrying too much, taking lots of holidays, and the fact that "I keep breathing. If you stop breathing, you're in real trouble." Holden, from the town of Epsom in Surrey, south of London, also said he ate quite a bit of porridge.

In Britain, people bet on just about everything -- from what they think the highest temperature will be in summer to whether their baby will grow up to be a cricket star. Bookie joints are as common as coffee shops in many neighborhoods. Those who want to wager on a novel matter -- not, for example, on a big soccer match -- submit the idea in writing to bookmakers, who do a bit of research and calculate the odds.

"There is no doubt that people over here have a view on everything, and they are prepared to bet on it to prove their point," said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill.

Adams estimated that 65 percent to 80 percent of adults in Britain had placed bets on the recent Grand National, one of the most prestigious horse races in the world. More than $2 million a minute was being wagered in the final hour before the horses started down the track.

Is the Loch Ness monster real? Oddsmakers call it a long shot: 250 to 1. "There will be a big payoff if Nessie is found," said Adams, who said about $10 million has been bet on the existence of the famed Scottish monster.

Among the best-known bets in Britain, and one that many say ushered in a new era of novel bets, was one in 1961 by a man who risked 10 British pounds that there would be a person on the moon by 1970. He collected handsomely on 1,000-to-1 odds when Neil Armstrong took his famous walk in 1969.

A surprising number of aristocratic manor homes fall in and out of families because they are offered up as bets. And lately, English people have been betting on the hit TV show "American Idol," though Adams said the money doesn't rival the amount bet on "Who shot J.R?" -- the key question among watchers of the 1980s prime time drama "Dallas."

Philip Holden, 60, Alec's youngest son, said his father had gone off to a hotel to have a rest. "He is actually rather shy," he said.

The typical British man lives to about 77, Adams said. Oddsmakers would continue to take people's bets on how long they will live but might now reserve 250-to-1 odds for those who reach 110, he said.