By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News
August 27, 2004

Add Kobe Bryant to the list of celebrities currently embroiled in criminal trials that bettors can wager on.

With the Los Angeles Lakers superstar facing rape charges in Eagle County in his trial that begins today, several offshore and online betting establishments are offering money lines or odds on Bryant's acquittal or innocence. And anyone with cash or a credit line can try to profit from the proceedings.

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For instance, Costa Rica-based Betplatinum.com on Thursday had Bryant being convicted of sexual assault prior to Dec. 31 at a money line of -200. That means you would need to bet $200 to win $100.

The company also offers a series of money-line bets for who will be the first journalist to interview Bryant's accuser after the resolution of the case.

The heavy favorite was Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes. The long shot? FOX's Bill O'Reilly.

Another Costa Rica-based online betting service had Bryant's trial odds available on its Web site through Aug. 9, when it was taken off the board - meaning bets weren't being taken on it.

A representative of Sportsbook911.com said he didn't know if the trial would be available to bet in the near future.

However, for much of the two months it was available to bet, Sportsbook911.com had Bryant being acquitted of sexual assault as the heavy favorite at 5-11 odds.

In other words, for every $11 bet, you could win $5. Bryant being found guilty was listed at 8-1, while a mistrial was placed at 30-1.

Las Vegas casinos were not offering bets on the trial.

Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University, said profiting on trials has been around for centuries.

"In ancient days, entrepreneurs set up food carts outside of executions," Thompson said. "The principle of this stuff is the same - people identifying an interest and knowing that where there is interest, there is a buck to be made."

Thompson said with the explosion of the Internet, coupled with 24-hour news channels, he expects the Bryant trial to take its place among the elite of high-profile cases.

You can bet on that.

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