If Facebook is going to gamble its money, why shouldn't you?
Though we could have a lengthy mathematical discussion here about the varying merits of the exacta versus the trifecta, perhaps a quicker and more clinical bet would be on which company Facebook might buy, now that it has swallowed Instagram.
I have always found bookmakers to be helpful and imaginative. So I am grateful to the New York Times for revealing that Paddy Power, the strong and forceful Irish bookmaker, has a new addition to its novelty betting section: yes, you can toss your money toward your view of whom Facebook will gobble next.
Foursquare is the favorite at 4-1. This is entirely understandable. It begins with an "F" and therefore would be far easier to integrate into Facebook's fun fold.
Evernote is the second favorite at 9-2. This is also understandable, as this site helps you remember everything. Clearly, Mark Zuckerberg will soon be unable to remember which fine -- and perhaps profit-free -- site he has acquired. Evernote will fit beautifully into this vast company need.
Dropbox, Spotify, and Pinterest also feature highly. Principally, one suspects, because Zuckerberg has heard of them.
Tumblr and Flickr lurk at a very attractive 25-1. I feel, though, that each has an insufficient number of vowels to really interest Facebook's CEO.
Paddy Power does seem keen to induce the entirely extra-planetary into this betting mullarkey, as it is offering 40-1 that Facebook will acquire YouTube. Perhaps someone should tell Paddy Power that YouTube is blood and Google is the stone within which it lives.
Still, who would be surprised if Zuckerberg put in an offer for it? Just for a giggle, naturally.