Commuters on Christmas Eve could be inconvenienced by train cancellations on Southern Rail routes, but an unexpected firm is stepping in to provide the public some “insurance”.
Irish bookmaker Paddy Power introduced a “cancellation insurance” bet, providing compensation to commuters if a train is cancelled on one of the 32 routes. The betting firm said that if Southern Rail announces a cancellation on their Twitter feed, that is good enough to be considered a winning bet.
“This way, if commuters are stuck on Christmas Eve, at least they’ll get some money in their pocket,” a spokesman for Paddy Power said.
Paddy Power is known for its outrageous betting scenarios which have drawn criticism, such as a potential assassination of US President Barack Obama, or the potential extinction of the polar bear. Several of its politically incorrect marketing stunts have also caused controversy among the public.
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