I’ve written plenty of times about the strange press releases I get nearly every day. Some of the most bizarre ones I get are the ones about betting odds on different random cultural events. For example, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gotten emails with press releases about bookmakers’ odds on who will be the next James Bond.
When I woke up this morning, I saw the news that Pope Francis had died, and before lunch, I had an email promoting the odds of who would replace him as pontiff. Granted, those bookmakers probably had their lists spinning about as soon as the pope got sick, but this seemed awfully quick, don’t you think?
My friend, colleague, and podcasting partner Stephen Kruiser discussed some of the likely candidates on a recent episode of “Faith All Over the Place,” but we didn’t talk about betting on who will take Francis’ place.
Related: Faith All Over the Place, Episode 9: Rough Week for Pope Francis Haters
But nowadays people can (and will) bet on anything, and now we’re seeing odds on who will become the next pope. Would-be bettors are taking to search engines to find out how to plunk their money down.
“Immediately after the death of Pope Francis was announced, Google searches for “bet on new pope” spiked to nearly an all-time high, with the previous high coming back in September 2011 amidst the filing of a formal complaint to the International Criminal Court accusing then-Pope Benedict of crimes against humanity for their roles in the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic church,” reports the culture site Whiskey Riff.
Gamblers are even taking to social media to find out where to bet:
Wait. ESPN Bet doesn’t have lines on next pope?!? Why do I even bet?!
— Grinch (@GrinchLaw) April 21, 2025
is there a way to gamble on who is the next pope? i don’t see anything on fanduel or draftkings
— jonathan (@PikaTheWanderer) April 21, 2025
Whiskey Riff points out that there’s a reason why people are looking to bet on the next pontiff:
Of course sports gambling has become a massive industry in the United States since being legalized back in 2018, with 30 states allowing online sports betting and over $121 billion reportedly being wagered in 2023.
But sports bettors are kind of in a slow season right now. There’s the NBA and the NHL playoffs, and of course MLB, but with March Madness wrapping up a couple weeks ago and no football, it seems bettors are anxious to find something else to throw their money on – including the papal conclave.
On some level, I get it. Gamblers want their “fix,” and they want their chance to win big money. But we’re talking about someone who died in the early morning hours. Regardless of what you think of Pope Francis — and I’ve seen enough ugliness in our normally civil and thoughtful comments section to know that the opinions are strong — doesn’t it come across as disrespectful to bet on his successor when the ink is barely dry on his death certificate?
This might be an unpopular opinion that might make some people mad, but I’m going to say it anyway. If you’re betting on papal succession, you might need to engage in a bit of soul-searching. And you might want to call a gambling help line.
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