Betting frenzy

ISLAMABAD, APRIL 5. The trial of the deposed Prime Minister, Mr. Nawaz Sharif, has started a betting frenzy in Pakistan where gambling has been outlawed as being contrary to Islamic teachings.

Some of the biggest money is being wagered in southern Karachi, say stock brokers.

The larger bookmakers in Karachi have apparently collected 7 billion Pakistani rupees on the outcome of the trial, said several stockbrokers, none of whom wanted to be named.

People have bet on everything from whether the sentence will be death, to how many years he will spend in prison, if the sentence is a prison term, to whether the judge will in fact announce his verdict tomorrow. The betting as been low on his acquittal, they say.

``It's all done informally, because officially betting is banned,'' said a stockbroker who explained that ``speculators are very careful this time because several people were arrested last year for betting on cricket matches.''

- AP

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Section  : International
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