All that cash isn’t going toward which team will win the World Cup, though.
Oddsmakers have tapped into their more creative side for this monthlong, worldwide event. So if putting down some green on who will win it all (Spain is still the favorite at 4-1) just bores you, consider some of these options.
Fan favorite (and potentially insane) Diego Maradona, head coach of Argentina, has a category unto himself, thanks to British bookmaker William Hill. The easiest chance for a return is the likelihood Maradona gets sent off the pitch during the match (6-1), but Maradona assaulting a member of the media during the World Cup (20-1 odds) or getting in a fistfight with one of his own players during the World Cup (which does not include play fighting) also look enticing.
And remember when the man of "Hand of God" fame vowed to run through Buenos Aires naked if Argentina won the World Cup? It’s currently 10-1 that Maradona does just that if La Albiceleste takes the trophy.
In case you’re tired of hearing about Maradona and his antics, there are plenty more unconventional betting lines to kick around. What will the first goal celebration be? A badge kiss is the 5-2 favorite, followed by somersaults at 4-1, taking the shirt off at 9-2, a prayer to God at 7-1, then "stand there and do nothing" at 9-1. Not listed is a choreographed dance, which is what South Africa will likely do if it jumps out to a 1-0 lead over Mexico in the first game of the tournament.
Not all of the bets, however, lack that extra pinch of cynicism that makes a wager really mean something.
How about the first team to fail a drug test? Chile edges out Argentina, Mexico and South Africa at 16-1.
It’s never fun to watch a soccer game mired in fouls — unless you bet on which player will be fouled the most, then it’s great! Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney are getting the most attention for that line.
And if you were hoping to make a quick buck on predicting another headbutt, it’s a little late. Getting sent off the pitch for head-butting comes in at 8-13 odds.
The amount of bizarre bets available for the 2010 World Cup continues to grow as the minutes until the first kickoff slip away. If you want to bet the house on who will be the champion, you can, but if you’d rather put your life savings on who will be given the first red card, you have that option, too.
