Sportsbet offering short odds on August iPhone

Aussie online gambling site Sportsbet is offering short odds on an August release for Apple's iPhone 5, with October coming in at a close second.

As reported by Current.com.au, the online bookie is offering odds of AU$2.75 to 1 on a release in August. September is longer, at AU$3.25, before the odds tighten again the month after, with Sportsbet paying AU$2.80 for October.

As to which Aussie carrier will be offering pre-orders of the phone first, Sportsbet has its money on Optus, followed by Telstra, with Vodafone in third place. It is also offering odds on the question: "Will Australia get the iPhone 5 before anywhere else?" — but, at AU$1.10 on a yes, it's probably not worth your while.

Keen market observers stand the best chance of making a profit on these bets, with the longest odds on the question of how many units Apple will sell on the first day. A figure between 1.4 million and 1.6 million is paying AU$3.25, while under 1 million is paying a whopping AU$9 to 1.

Now, if we could just convince someone at Apple to spill the beans...