Betting on a White Christmas

Christmas has arrived early this year at UK bookmaker Ladbrokes, with separate odds being offered on the chance of snow falling in five British cities on the December 25 holiday.

Under the heading "White Christmas", bets can be made on snow falling in London, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Glasgow.

London is considered the most likely to experience snow with odds of 7.00. Glasgow has odds of 8.00, while the other three cities carry odds of 9.00.

This is not a competition between the five cities - snow must only fall on the weather centre in the city of choice on December 25 for the bet to be successful. Bets can be made on multiple cities, in the hope snow falls across Britain, covering more than one of the cities.

The odds are once again stacked against a White Christmas for Britain. In London, snow has only fallen between December 24 and 26 on 18 of 108 Christmases since the beginning of the 20th century. In years when snow does fall in the capital, it usually occurs in January or February.

However, London experienced its first October snowfall since 1934 this year, leading to speculation of a rare White Christmas to come in 2008.

Other bookmakers have expanded the criteria to include other European cities, with Irish bookmaker Paddy Power asking, "Where will it snow first in December?" Glasgow is the favorite at 11/10, with London, 8-1, stranded behind rivals Belfast, Dublin and Cardiff. Paris, 12/1, and Madrid, 33/1, are considered unlikely locations for snow.