All bets are off.
The Quebec government has put a halt to a gambling scheme launched by its lottery corporation focused on the departure of U.S. President Donald Trump, a Quebec daily newspaper is reporting.
On Wednesday, Loto-Québec invited people to start placing their bets on whether Trump would be gone by May 1, 2018. Much laughter ensued on social media.
But the Quebec government didn't find it very funny, with the office of Finance Minister Carlos Leitao telling La Presse that the lotto corporation had shown "poor judgment."
The newspaper also reported that Premier Philippe Couillard's office and the provincial international relations department also felt Loto-Québec had gone too far.
A spokesman for the Crown corporation disagreed.
"There are some who might not appreciate it and find that it goes too far," Loto-Québec spokesman Patrice Lavoie, told La Presse. "But we know that (the future of Donald Trump) is part of the public debate and that it interests people. We are talking about it every day."
He was also quoted as saying that Loto-Québec tries to ensure its betting games are in "good taste" on issues in the media that everyone is talking about.
The betting had also put low odds on Trump's departure, only offering a $1.10 payout for anyone betting $1.00 that the president would be sticking around. Loto-Québec was offering a $3.65 on every dollar for successful bets predicting the president would leave before May 2018.
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