- Jul 16, 2001
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Police are probing an Israeli gambling ring suspected of putting its money on a grim game of chance -- predicting the target of the next Palestinian suicide bombing.
The betting ring was set up in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi, where local gamblers can fill out a form that gives odds for different cities and regions in Israel, the Tel Aviv weekly Zman Tel Aviv reported Friday.
"We are checking into it to see if there is a violation of the gambling laws," police spokesman Gil Kleiman said. "We're not getting into the moral aspect."
Israeli law prohibits gambling, but gaming thrives in illegal hideouts across the country and on cruise ships that pick up gamblers in Israeli ports.
But this particular type of betting carries a bitter irony.
Israelis frequently compare their daily lives to a game of Russian roulette. Palestinian suicide and car bombings have struck buses, cafes, restaurants and family celebrations in a 20-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation.
The betting ring was set up in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Malachi, where local gamblers can fill out a form that gives odds for different cities and regions in Israel, the Tel Aviv weekly Zman Tel Aviv reported Friday.
"We are checking into it to see if there is a violation of the gambling laws," police spokesman Gil Kleiman said. "We're not getting into the moral aspect."
Israeli law prohibits gambling, but gaming thrives in illegal hideouts across the country and on cruise ships that pick up gamblers in Israeli ports.
But this particular type of betting carries a bitter irony.
Israelis frequently compare their daily lives to a game of Russian roulette. Palestinian suicide and car bombings have struck buses, cafes, restaurants and family celebrations in a 20-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation.
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