German doctor Gunther von Hagens has given Irish bookmaking outfit Paddy Power a potential EUR80,000 (USD$112,500) bloody nose with his claims that an agreement was in place with Michael Jackson to plastinate his remains upon his death. Von Hagens has caused controversy around the globe with his practice of embalming corpses with preserving polyurethane. The doctor also preserved Michael Jackson’s late pet monkey, Bubbles, using the same process a number of years ago

Paddy Power was offering odds of what will happen to Michael Jackson’s remains with a traditional burial or cremation the two most likely outcomes. Others options such as blasting into space and recycling were also available to bet on.

One of the most bizarre options however was for the singer’s body to be preserved in plastic at very unlikely odds of 100/1. However shrewd punters managed to get wind of von Hagen’s plans and placed bets in excess of EUR800 (USD$1,120) on Jackson’s remains to be “plastinated”. Should this happen Paddy Power will are now facing a payout of EUR80,000.

Paddy Power said “There’s no doubt about it; we’ve got a right kicking where the sun don’t shine from these punters. The average bet was less than EUR25 so it didn’t show up on our radar until it was too late and now we’re faced with a massive payout should Gunther get his way. Just like the German doctor, I take my hat off to these crafty punters, well played!”

Paddy Power are offering numerous Michael Jackson betting opportunities including the odds on the global television audience for the singers funeral (between 750 million and one billion is the odds-on favourite) and the percentage of tweets containing the words “Michael Jackson” that are sent next week.

 

What will happen Jacko’s remains?

  • 13/8 Buried
  • 5/4 Cremated
  • 4/1 Plastinated (from 100/1)
  • 10/1 Donated to Medical Research
  • 33/1 Cryogenically Frozen
  • 100/1 Blasted into Space
  • 500/1 Recycled
  • 1000/1 Frozen in Carbonite

 

Global television audience for Michael Jackson’s funeral

  • 6/1 Less than 500 million
  • 7/4 500 million - 750 million
  • 4/5 750 million - 1 billion
  • 2/1 Over 1 billion

 

Will Neverland be Michael Jackson’s Final Resting Place?

  • 2/5 Yes
  • 13/8 No

 

Percentage of Global Tweets referencing “Michael Jackson” WC:

  • 29/06/09
  • 5/4 16% - 20% inclusive
  • 2/1 21% - 25% inclusive
  • 5/2 10% - 15% inclusive
  • 4/1 Less than 10%
  • 6/1 26% - 30% inclusive
  • 8/1 31% - 35% inclusive
  • 16/1 36% - 40% inclusive
  • 28/1 41% - 50% inclusive
  • 33/1 Over 50% inclusive

 

Best Selling Michael Jackson Album of 2009

  • 5/4 Off the Wall
  • 6/4 Thriller
  • 2/1 Bad
  • 6/1 Dangerous
  • 8/1 HIStory
  • 10/1 Invincible
  • 16/1 Ben
  • 20/1 Forever, Michael
  • 28/1 Music and Me
  • 33/1 Got to Be There
    (Market excludes compilations)

 

Name of the Michael Jackson Movie

  • 4/1 Michael
  • 8/1 Invincible
  • 9/1 Thriller
  • 10/1 You Are Not alone
  • 10/1 Leave Me Alone
  • 12/1 Bad
  • 16/1 Prince of Pop
  • 16/1 Dangerous
  • 16/1 Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough
  • 18/1 Man in the Mirror
  • 18/1 We’re Almost There
  • 20/1 What More Can I Give
  • 20/1 One Day in Your Life
  • 33/1 Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
  • 33/1 I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
  • 50/1 Black or White
  • 66/1 Beat it
  • 66/1 PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
  • 100/1 The Lost Children

 

All prices remain subject to fluctuation.

For more information contact;
Ken Robertson
Paddy Power plc
Mob: +353-87-8528718
ken@paddypower.com

SOURCE Paddy Power Plc