Russian Betting Firm Seeks To Make Paul The Octopus A Prized Employee

One does not simply pull off a perfect eight-for-eight streak in picking World Cup winners, and in doing so capture the imagination of the entire globe, without attracting further job opportunities in sports prognostication. Even if you’re an octopus. Especially if you’re an octopus.↵↵Paul became the unintended star of this year’s World Cup, earning adulation and even tribute songs for his prediction prowess. Since then, the German lab where he lives has received several offers to acquire the famed “oracle octopus.” One came from the Madrid zoo, which is fitting since he correctly called Spain’s first ever World Cup victory.↵

↵↵But what good would come from having Paul spend his days in a zoo? His talents would go to waste. Better he be acquired by a Russian betting firm, which would not only give a tidy sum to the lab, but compensate the octopus more generously than its other employees. From the New Zealand Herald News:↵

↵↵⇥A Russian betting firm wants to buy psychic World Cup octopus Paul as a bookmaker and pay him a salary of $NZ7000 a month, according to local media.↵⇥↵⇥“He will be one of our 120 staff employees,” Oleg Zhuravsky, co-owner of Bet League, told the Soviet Sport newspaper.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥“Our specialists receive around $US3000 (NZ$4221) a month, so we will pay Paul $US5000 (NZ$7035).”↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥Mr. Zhuravsky said he was willing to pay the Sea Life Oceanarium attraction in Oberhausen, Germany, where Paul lives, as much as 100,000 euros for the oracle octopus.↵⇥

↵↵↵Not sure exactly what an octopus would do with a $60,000 annual salary, but savvy investments in the market seems likely.↵

↵↵(H/T to Deuce of Davenport)↵

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