The odds on spelling

For those who wonder about the pervasiveness of gambling, consider this: An online site was accepting bets on the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. The propositions were pretty creative: Would the winner be a girl or a boy? Would the winner be wearing glasses? Would the final word have an "e'' in it?

It's pretty sick when bookies take action on a kids' contest. Maybe it's an unintended consequence of the popularity of the spelling bee: at least three movies, a Broadway show and prime-time TV of the finals. At least it's reality TV that's real.

Oh, as for those questions: The winner was a girl. No, she was not wearing glasses. And the final word did have an ''e'' at the end. Here's another proposition: What are the odds the bookies will do the right thing and refuse to take action on the spelling bee next year?