Sick illegal gambling sites are taking bets on how many people get infected with the deadly coronavirus each day, according to a report.
The sites offer a variety of options to bet on figures, including whether each day’s increase in numbers is more than the day before, according to Singapore’s The New Paper, which found at least five sites offering odds.
“Even if they are gambling on people’s lives, they will make that bet if someone is willing to accept it,” psychiatrist Dr. Munidasa Winslow told the paper.
“Betting on the number of daily COVID-19 cases is dark, but in the mind of a gambler, it’s just another avenue for what they claim is a game of skill.”
The sites are flourishing amid reports that gambling has seen a dramatic increase during worldwide quarantines — as traditional sports are no longer being played.
“They need this regular fix,” psychiatrist Dr. Adrian Wang told the paper of the sites it found offering bets in numerous nations, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
“Like an alcoholic who suddenly finds himself unable to afford whisky and has to settle for cheap rice wine, problem gamblers who can’t bet in the casino or on suspended soccer games, they will take what’s available.”
But they are gambling on something else, too — up to six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000 if caught making illegal bets, with the sites themselves risking $200,000 fines and five years’ prison, the paper says.
Cops are already on the case. “The police are aware of betting activities relating to the number of daily COVID-19 cases and are looking into the matter,” a spokeswoman for Singapore’s police told The New Paper.