Tomorrow, George Osborne will deliver his emergency Budget speech. And doubtless, quite a few of us will feel poorer as a result of the measures needed to claw back Britain's huge budget deficit. However, just because he'll likely be delivering a gloomy message, that doesn't have to stop you from having a bit of fun and making some money too.
At paddypower.com, the UK budget specials part of the political bets section of the website allows you to bet on all kinds of budget-related facts.
Think Osborne will wear a purple tie? Fixed odds of 10/1 mean you'll get £110 back for a £10 bet (£100 plus your original stake). Or perhaps you think he'll only need two sips of water during the entire speech he's bound to be a little nervous after all. In which case odds of 3/1 are currently on offer.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
- Spread betting The easy way to geared, tax-free returns
- Forex trading- How to profit from currency movements
Of course one of the favourite bets traditionally is the length of the speech. That's trickier to gauge for a new boy. At the moment anyone thinking it will last between 51 and 55 minutes can get odds of 2/1.
And let's hope it doesn't last much longer than that the longer he talks the bigger the list of budgetary nasties he is likely to inflict.
-
What happens if you can’t pay your tax bill, and what is "Time to Pay"?Millions are due to file their tax return this Friday as the self-assessment deadline closes. Though the nightmare is not over until you pay the taxman what you owe - or face a penalty. But what happens if you can't afford to pay HMRC your tax bill, and what is "Time to Pay"?
-
What does Rachel Reeves’s plan for growth mean for UK investors?Rachel Reeves says she is going “further and faster” to kickstart the UK economy, but investors are unlikely to be persuaded
