After Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88, the Christian world had one question in mind: Who will be the next Pope? Millions of bettors ponder that same question, too.
The voting for a new pope will begin on 7 May. Bookies have already published next pope betting odds and predictions on the most likely candidates for such a prestigious title in the Christian world. Yes, you can bet on the next pope, and these bets can be found in the Specials or Novelty betting sections of the online sportsbooks.
Pietro Parolin is a clear favourite according to many online bookies:
How to Bet on a New Pope
Despite these bets not really falling under any category, let alone sports, betting bonuses can still be applied to these bets. Specifically, the free bet bonuses you can score after making a qualifying bet at most betting sites.
We’ve selected some of the bonuses that are valid for betting on the next pope:
- bet365: Bet £10 Get £30
- Betfred : Bet £10 Get £50 in Free Bets
- NetBet: Bet €20 Get €20
- TalkSport Bet: Bet £10 Get £30 Welcome Bonus
Like any novelty bet, for example, betting on the Eurovision song contest, betting on the next pope can be found in the Specials section of most sportsbooks.
So, head to that section, find the bets on the new pope, and you’ll see that it doesn’t differ much from any other form of betting, sports or novelty.
What’s different, though, is the variety of betting markets. You can bet on the cardinal that will win papal elections, of course, but also on the nationality of the next pope, as well as the number of election days and rounds.
Since the cardinals choose their papal name after they accept the inauguration, there are bets on that, too.
Odds and Favourites Among Cardinals in the Running
The Vatican has closed the Sistine Chapel in preparations for the voting. For cardinals to participate in the secret voting and, thus, be potentially elected as the new Pope, the main requirement is that they are under 80 years of age.
This year, 135 cardinals qualified for this position. It’s a significant increase in participation compared to the previous conclaves in 2005 and 2013. Among those 135, 80% were personally appointed by the late Pope Francis.
These are the current odds for the Cardinals with high chances to be elected for the new pope:
- Pierbattista Pizzaballa - 7.00
- Peter Turkson - 10.00
- Peter Erdo - 10.00
- Jean-Marc Aveline - 19.00
- Fridolin Ambongo Besungu - 19.00
- Robert Sarah - 21.00
- Mario Grech - 26.00
*Odds published by bet365, updated daily.
On the other hand, some bettors believe that the next pope will be someone from Africa or Asia, as historically these continents have never been represented. Bookies give this a 60% chance of happening, with Italy in the close second at 50%.
How Is a New Pope Chosen
Following the resignation or death of a previous pope, the College of Cardinals is responsible for deciding on the new pope. These people are chosen by the pope personally, representing the most distinguished cardinals and bishops of the Church.
They hold a series of meetings at the Vatican called the general congregations, preparing for the conclave, which is a papal election. Voting is done by a secret ballot, which sees the cardinals vote in four rounds every day until one candidate wins a two-thirds majority.
Ballots are burned after each vote, with unsuccessful votes mixed with chemicals to produce a black smoke. Announcing the election of a new pope, the ballots are burned with a mix of chemicals that produce a white smoke out of the chapel’s chimney.
