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LONDON - An English hospital patient was so anxious to place a bet involving the England rugby union team he tried to discharge himself early, soon after having an operation.
Graham Long, 74, is in University Hospital in Coventry, central England, where he has had an orthopaedic operation.
He was worried about the possibility of missing out on staking 100 pounds ($274) at odds of 10/1 on a special bet being offered by William Hill, one of the UK's leading bookmakers.
The wager involves England's football team beating Russia in a Euro 2008 qualifier on Thursday, the rugby union team defeating South Africa in the World Cup final on Sunday and Britain's Lewis Hamilton winning the Formula One title on Monday.
"Mr Long rang to ask us where his nearest William Hill shop was and told us that he was discharging himself early in order to place his bet, even though he had only just had an operation," Hills' spokesman Graham Sharpe said.
"We told him that he could stay where he was to recuperate and that we would put the bet on for him - we wouldn't want to feel we'd affected his chances of making a full recovery."
- AFP
