Deathpool

Deathpool, its name a combination of death and betting-pool, refers to a gambling arrangement where participants wager on the demise of a particular entity within a group or class of similar entities. Each participant picks a unique entity to bet on and the winner is the one whose choice is the first to meet its demise.

The practice probably originated on the Howard Stern Radio Show, where show regulars would place bets into a celebrity death pool, each trying to predict the next celebrity to pass on. Since then the practice has been expanded to include wagering on such abstract entities as businesses. The morbid appeal of deathpools no doubt stems from the same pyschological proclivities that made gladiatorial contests so popular in ancient Rome.