Michael Jackson would sad-moonwalk in his grave if he knew that Australians were now betting on the outcome of his autopsy. As in gambling money on the cause of his death.
And not just his, but his good friend Whitney Houston‘s too. And Anna Nicole Smith because why stop at two, right?
Seriously, truly, actually, this story is for real. Sportsbet.com.au have opened up an ‘autopsy’ category on their website, inviting punters to put money into what is essentially a dead celebrity popularity contest.
Here, read the details straight from these classy, classy gambling enablers themselves:
For anyone keen to bet on how many viewers Channel 7 will get for their Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Anna Nicole Smith episodes of Autopsy: here are the odds… MJ is currently at $1.40, Whitney’s at $3, and Anna Nicole is trailing behind on $9.
For everyone else: Here are some questions we’ve got, that we’re hoping you can help us answer.
Who in the world thought this was an acceptable thing to bet on?
Worse, who approved that idiot’s idea? Is nothing sacred anymore?
Is this a new low for the gambling industry or are ATMs within a glance of poker machines already there?
Seriously, what could actually be worse than pitting the memories of recently deceased people against each other for entertainment and potential profit?
Can Channel 7 stop this from happening?
What kind of people would actually take cash out of their wallets to gamble on this?
Who the hell is this Will Byrne character, being so awful about a dead woman?
Is the ‘Autopsy Market’ a regular thing?
And finally, a simple thought. If you want to have a bet on something – go have a punt on the outcome of the tennis.
Top Comments
Struggling to understand why I should be outraged here...
These people are hardly "recently deceased". Anna Nicole Smith has been dead for 7 years. Whitney Houston has been gone for more than two years now and MJ's been gone five. I can pretty much guarantee you that the commercial networks would have aired specials about Whitney, Michael and probably Anna Nicole within a couple of days of their deaths, if not on the same night. I just can't get myself worked up about a TV channel broadcasting a show about a dead celebrity years after the fact.
Am I supposed to be upset about the title of the show? It's an "autopsy" of their lives, not their bodies, so whatever. It's a sensationalist title but there are more sensationalist titles here on Mamamia every day. Including this one.
The betting? Don't care about that either. They're betting on TV ratings. So what?
I think that Channel 7 is more at fault here than sports bet. Not that I'm condoning gambling, but they're taking odds on the numbers of viewers of a program named Autopsy. Not the actual autopsy results themselves which is what your title suggests. Your title is as sensationalised as the tv show.