British bookies start to sweat at Gore's Nobel win

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) British bookmakers cut the odds of Al Gore becoming the next president of the United States and started to sweat as the former US vice president won the Nobel Peace Prize today.

The reason is that in winning the prize Gore has now satisfied two of the three conditions the bookies set for a 100 to one bet they had offered -- winning an Oscar, becoming a Nobel laureate and taking up residence in the White House.

Gore's campaigning climate change film ''An Inconvenient Truth'' won an Oscar this year.

Today, after the Nobel award was announced, the bookies cut Gore's odds of becoming the next US president to 8/1 from 10/1 -- although Hilary Clinton remains hot favourite at odd of 4/7.

''He seems to have the Midas touch and if his supporters encourage him to stand he may shake up the whole race,'' Ladbrokes spokesman Robin Hutchison said.

REUTERS PD RK1705