The Commoner’s Guide to Betting on British Royal-Baby Names

Hilary Weaver
Updated
Have a hunch about what William and Kate will name their third child? The bookies across the pond are more than happy to take your wager.

When Prince George was born in July 2013, there was a lot riding on his name. It was, of course, of historical import. He was the firstborn child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and one-day heir to the throne. But also, literally, there was a lot of money due to change hands depending on what his parents decided to call him. Wagering on a royal-baby’s name (or weight or gender or length) is something of a pastime, it turns out. (George had been one of the top picks all along.)

When Kate and William announced that she was pregnant in September of last year, the markets heated up again. With Kate reportedly due on a late-April date, and the action livening up even more, Katie Baylis, media-relations manager at Betfair in London, shared with Vanity Fair via e-mail about the process of betting on royal-baby names.

Vanity Fair: Once the news comes out that a royal baby is due to be born, when does the betting process start?

Katie Baylis: Royal-baby name betting can start even before a royal pregnancy has been confirmed. For example, you can bet on the name, sex, and year of birth of __Harry and Meghan’s first child without anything being publicly confirmed. In saying that, when the news of a royal pregnancy is actually announced, we see immediate action on these betting markets.

What do betters place their wagers on the most? Baby names, weight, length?

Names are by far and away the most popular bet type. The whole traditional side of the royals’ naming conventions tends to lead to a lot of public debate and allows betters to “study the form.”

When did this tradition get started?

We have always taken a quirky approach to the markets we bet on, be it baby names or reality-TV shows. Royal-baby name markets are always significantly more popular, however, than Hollywood/TV-star baby names and they also do a much better job of keeping people in suspense for longer. The popularity of the current young royals also means anything to do with them, whether that be a royal wedding or the birth of a royal baby, is the biggest story in town, which leads to a lot of interest from punters wanting to be a part of the story.

What have been the bets you’ve been seeing with this third royal baby?

Right now, without it being confirmed, our betters seem to be indicating that a girl is on the way, given the popularity and numbers of bets placed on names such as Mary, Alice, and Victoria.

I’ve read that because Kate has been wearing a lot of blue, people are betting this baby will be a boy. Is color a common indicator that people will bet on?

Actually, at the moment, we’re seeing betting patterns indicating it may well be a girl, however there are many clues and indicators that punters will use to help them decide what to bet on, which can include everything from the color that Kate is wearing to the types of toys and baby clothes reportedly being bought by friends and relatives as presents. Basically anything and everything can be used as a clue to the sex of the baby for those who like [to] bet on this market.

What is the pace like of the betting? Does it get busier the closer to the baby’s due date?

Absolutely—a large percentage of bets and money on this market will be wagered much closer to the due date, and even post the birth itself. The royals often confirm the sex of the child without releasing a name, at the time of birth, which means we can see a lot of bets placed once word is given that the new royal has arrived into the world.

What is the process like for choosing baby names in particular?

So, it’s quite a straightforward process. We have a market on-site, which is called “name of Kate and William’s next baby,” and it contains a big list of names with odds next to them. People just chose the name they want to bet will be the name, and how much they would like to bet, and then they just click place bet—much the same as it would be for a horse race, but this time, instead of picking the horse they think will win the race, they are picking the name they believe the baby will be called. Once the baby name is officially announced, we then pay out the winnings to those that picked the correct name.