A hairy gambling story

Bizarre auction buys for mainly publicity purposes are not new to the online gambling industry – the Golden Palace people have been doing it for years – but the latest of the genre does little for perceptions of the industry.

The Daily Mail reported over the weekend that an internet gambling information portal, Online Gambling Pal.com, has paid GBP 7,000 for a clump of hair from deceased pop singer Michael Jackson, which was apparently dredged up from the drain of a shower at the Carlyle Hotel, where he stayed in the ‘eighties during a visit to New York.

Retrieved by some enterprising if distasteful worker, the hair ball was offered for sale by auction house Gotta Have Rock and Roll as part of an online sale of pop memorabilia.

That’s bad enough, but the planned use for this ‘memento’ is truly disrespectful and tacky – the new owners intend to turn it into a roulette ball to “immortalize a ‘peerless’ entertainer,” and in on-site comments appear rather proud of their achievement.

A company spokesman assured the Mail: “The ball itself will be made to the highest professional standards, ensuring it will be eligible for use at any licensed casino’s roulette table.”

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