Latest Middle East Lottery Craze: Pick a Start Date for War

Pick the correct date for fighting in the Persian Gulf to break out and you could win big money--if you’re one of the American business people in Saudi Arabia trying to relieve tensions by holding war lotteries.

The buildup of U.S.-led forces in the gulf has fueled speculation that a clash with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s forces is inevitable.

The lotteries developed because almost every conversation wends its way to that topic.

In one such game, players put up nearly $200 to choose a calendar day when fighting might erupt.

Heavy favorites so far are concentrated in mid- to late October. Bets for November are not yet being accepted.

Players tend to avoid choosing Fridays and Sundays, the Muslim and Christian holy days. Many have chosen Mondays.

One group has formed what it calls an Actual Hostilities Committee to determine what level of clash is sufficient to qualify for the prize.

This particular group takes into account the possibility of a diplomatic solution.