(162) Inquiries re odds on the discovery of the giant octopus

I rang bookmakers William Hill and Ladbrokes on July 15th 1999 to see if they would quote me odds on the discovery of a giant octopus. Mr G. Sharpe of William Hill did not want to because he was uncertain of any known facts about such a creature, never before having had an inquiry about it. But his firm were giving 500-1 against the discovery of the Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot in the next 12 months.
Ladbrokes said that I should discuss it with Mr Ed. Nicholson, who would be back on Monday 19th. I wrote off to him and then rang him on the Monday morning.

He said that he had just returned from two weeks holiday and had on his desk another letter, from America, asking for odds on the Loch Ness monster and the giant octopus. Like Mr Sharpe, he declined to quote me odds on the octopus.
I think that he too had never been asked about it before.

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