Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Betting on the Bee

Here's proof that you really can bet on anything: The online gambing site BetUS.com has released the odds for the 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee, which starts today; finals are broadcast locally on ABC at 8 p.m. on Friday (via tape delay).

They're giving even odds that this year's winner will wear glasses.

Gender of the winner: Male 5/7, Female 1/1

Will the winner wear glasses?: Yes 1/1, No 5/7

Length of the winning word: Over 8.5 letters 2/3, under 8.5 letters 11/10

The winner of the spelling competition will take home $35,000 in cash after outspelling 287 other middle school students. Apparently the really big money is in betting on this Superbowl of the Nerds.

Nevada is represented in Washington, D.C. this year by contestant #154, Cheyenne K. Lawrence, of Silver Springs, a 13-year-old eighth grader at Silver Stage Middle School. Cheyenne made it through Round Two by correctly spelling "rigatoni," but was knocked out of the quarterfinals by points (contestants were given a written and oral spelling test, and were eliminated by score).

You can follow the results, round by round, by clicking here.

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