2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee Betting Odds Now AvailableThe 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee betting odds have been posted by the fine folks at
Sportsbook.com (see website here).
For now, the online gambling website is offering betting odds on the sex of the Spelling Bee winner (girl or boy in this case) while the full menu of betting odds will be offered shortly.
This is Carrie Stroup reporting for Gambling911.com with this very important announcement.
The favorite to win this year's 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee is 13-year-old Samir Patel. The oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com will likely open him as the favorite as well.
If the young football fan doesn't win the title this year, he would essentially become the Dan Marino of spelling.
"Dan Marino not winning the Super Bowl," Samir said. "That's a good comparison."
Samir, who roots for the Dallas Cowboys from his home in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Colleyville, Texas, knows all about Marino's star-crossed 17 years as a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Marino is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he never won the big game.
This week, Samir has one last chance to avoid a similar fate as he returns to the national spelling bee for a fifth time. The 80th annual bee, featuring 286 competitors from the English-speaking parts of the world, opens Wednesday with the preliminary round and concludes with a prime-time finish Thursday night.
"If I had to predict who's going to win — which is a very dangerous thing to do — I would guess that Samir has a very good chance," said James Maguire, who profiled Samir in the book "American Bee." "If another bad stroke of luck comes along and he needs to go home without the trophy, yeah, I think there would be sort of a bittersweet feeling."
Samir will plan to enter other contests should he not be crowned the champion in his final spelling bee.
"I plan on entering other competitions," Samir said. "Math competitions and debate, hopefully. I'll still be busy."
A girl winner is the favorite sex to win with odds of 11 to 10 or you would have to bet $11 to win $10. With the boys you would only have to bet $2 to win $3.
"Girls are usually smarter than boys," expressed Gambling911.com Senior Editor, Payton O'Brien. "At least when it comes to spelling."
Odds Can Be Found Here
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Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com
Originally published May 29, 2007 3:23 pm ET
