>>>On a more serious note, in the UK, a gamble, or wager, is not enforcable at law.

It is an offence to wager on the life of the Monarch, or heirs, or members of the Privy Council (which includes most leading politicians - and IDS) and there is a rather nice piece of legislation, "The Gambelling Policies Act 1908" (SP)- Which precludes setting up a wager as an insurance policy.<<<

I am quite surprised that this wagering on death and crime is not illegal in the U.S. under both state and federal laws. Perhaps it is. Perhaps there were loopholes based on semantics. Strange we haven't read a little more about that.