Quebec lottery says 'no' to gambling on pope's successor

All bets are off in Quebec as to whether a local will become the next pope.

The provincial lottery commission said it will not follow the lead of some foreign gambling houses that allow people to place bets on who will be the successor for Pope Benedict XVI.

The organization is not swayed by the fact that fellow Quebecer Marc Cardinal Ouellet happens to be the odds-on favourite as well as one of the betting houses' top picks.

While Loto-Québec recently branched out beyond sports gambling by introducing betting on the upcoming Oscars, a spokesman said the organization has no plans to branch out to religion.

Jean-Pierre Roy said it would be unbecoming for a state-run organization to offer such betting and Loto-Québec has no intention of doing so.

Some bookmakers have jumped into the fray since Monday's resignation announcement by the pope.