Danny Martindale/Getty ImagesWhen Kate Middleton gives birth to the royal baby, some Brits will be celebrating his or her arrival--and their own personal monetary gains!
Nearly £1 million ($1.5 million!) have already been bet on the child's future name, gender, weight and, of course, the date on which the little prince or princess will be born.
The gamblers at online betting site William Hill seem to think the Prince or Princess of Cambridge will be born sooner rather than later. They've placed 3 to 1 odds on the child being born on Wednesday, 6 to 1 Thursday, 9 to 1 Friday, and 10 to 1 for Saturday. The odds for the rest of July don't seem as favorable, and the betters give 20 to 1 odds against the royal baby arriving anytime in August.
The betting Brits are also putting some stock into the royal baby being a girl. Ladbrokes, another British betting company, places 1 to 3 odds on Kate and Wills adding a princess to their family, versus 9 to 4 odds of a prince. The site took its biggest bet—a whopping 10,000 pounds on a girl—this past December. (As you recall, St. James's Palace officially confirmed Kate's pregnancy on Dec. 3, 2012.)
Across the board, bettors seem to think Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth II's middle name, will be the child's moniker with a likelihood of 6 to 4 odds. Other gambling sites give Elizabeth 7 to 1 odds and Diana 12 to 1 odds. The frontrunner for a boy name is George, after the queen's father, with odds of 8 to 1, followed by James at 6 to 1.
Punters have also placed bets on some seemingly unlikely names, including Chardonnay, PSY, Tulisa and Elvis. (Elvis Presley was the king of Rock 'n Roll, and Elvis Windsor would one day be the king of England.)
Now, when it comes to a very important matter--the royal baby's hair color—gamblers seem to think he or she will have brown tresses. With Paddy Power, odds are put at 6 to 4 that the royal baby will be a brunette, followed by 4 to 1 for blond, black and red. However, geneticists reportedly predict up to a 52 percent odds of the child being a ginger (like Uncle Prince Harry!) if both Will and Kate carry the red-haired gene.
And what about when His or Her Royal Highness grows up? Odds are 16 to 1 on the pursuit of a career like dad in the Royal Air Force, 33 to 1 for a model, and 90 to 1 of him or her being a journalist. (Although it doesn't seem very likely, if he or she should send an application E! News' way, we will most definitely consider it.)
As one site's PR manager explained, "If the money talks, then the newest heir to the throne will be a 7-pound brunette princess named Alexandra, born sometime in the morning." But of course, it's all ultimately up to Will and Kate's genes and the royal baby itself—not the adoring, gambling public.
Hmph. The anticipation is killing us! But until Kate and Will make their way into St. Mary's Hospital and set up camp in their luxury Lindo Wing suite, all we can do is wait with bated breath. That, and keep on betting as the stakes get even higher.