All eyes on Osborne as Budget offers chance to make money

There’s no doubt about it, George Osborne will infuriate, sadden and dismay many in his Budget speech tomorrow – but Ladbrokes customers are in for a bit of cheer thanks to the Budget betting markets.

Ladbrokes are offering punters the chance to bet on everything from the colour of Osborne’s tie to the key words that will crop up in the speech, and considering economic stability is 1/5 to be used, we’re in for a depressing afternoon.

However, thanks to George Osborne’s love of a purple tie – a quick scour of Google images will tell you the Chancellor is partial to a bit of purple – punters can back Osborne wearing a purple tie at 2/1 and boost the bank balance before it takes a hit.

Purple is the favourite choice at 2/1 although blue is a close second at 3/1 with green the next best at 7/1, however the chances of the Chancellor wearing a black tie to reflect the sombre mood look slim at 25/1.

With so much to talk about, Osborne is going to take up a fair chunk of Parliament’s time explaining his reasons for his actions, and at 5/6, backing the speech to last over 55 minutes looks the bet of the Budget.

Since the turn of the Millennium the average speech time has dropped but 16 of the last 23 speeches have gone on longer than 55 minutes, and after Alistair Darling had to make two speeches last year, Osborne has his work cut out explaining the financial position of this country.

There is no doubt we’ll hear the word deficit at some point in the speech and it’s 1/50 to happen, but taking a punt on terms like Libya (3/1), tuition fees (5/2) and double dip (2/1) could prove fruitful.

A £20 stake on Osborne wearing a purple tie would return £60. New customers can sign up here to get £60 in free bets.