10 to 1 odds on Guan Eng losing

PETALING JAYA (April 21, 2013): An illegal bookmaking syndicate in Penang is giving the odds of 10 to 1 that DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng will lose in the Air Putih state constituency, China Press reported today.

The report said the bookie has capped the bet at RM100 for each punter who must be a voter in the constituency. This means a voter who bets RM100 will receive RM1,000 if Lim loses.

The interim chief minister is being challenged by 41-year-old MCA lawyer Tan Ken Keong.

Apart from Air Putih, the syndicate is also giving the same or smaller odds against the candidates of DAP or Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) in three other state constituencies, namely Pulau Tikus, Jawi and Bukit Tengah. And the bookie accepts bets only from voters from the respective constituencies.

In the last general election, Lim beat his Barisan Nasional (BN) opponent from MCA, Tan Yoke Cheng, by a 4,061-vote margin.

The fact that Tan obtained 2,540 votes despite the political tsunami means BN has 2,500 basic votes in the constituency.

This also implies that if 4,000 voters who supported Lim in 2008 vote for Ken Keong because of betting, the latter will turn dragon slayer come May 5.

In Pulau Tikus, betting, in which a punter gets RM5 for every ringgit bet, coupled with Lim's unpopular move to replace incumbent Koay Teng Hai with newbie Yap Soo Huey and the strengthening of the Gerakan in its former fortress, may cost DAP the seat.

As for Jawi, the odds that MCA candidate Tan Cheng Liang, a former assemblyman, will win the seat is 10-1.

The report said betting and possible sabotage, as a result of the incumbent Tan Beng Huat being replaced by newcomer Soon Lip Chee, may swing the result in favour of Cheng Liang.

Meanwhile, in Bukit Mertajam, Penang Barisan Nasional chief Teng Chang Yeow called on the public not to bet against the candidates.

"I would like to advise the public not to bet," he said today.

He added that it would affect all the candidates, regardless of whether they are from BN, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) or Independent.

Teng said betting was "normal" as it occurred during every general election and hoped that voters would act wisely.