Bookies Announce Odds for Christmas Number One

'Tis the season to be jolly. 'Tis also the season to start impulsively gambling on various unconventional subjects, such as weather and chart positions. Consequently, ELSPA and Ladbrookes have announced the odds for the current favourites in the running for the coveted Christmas number one.

Obviously these odds are set to fluctuate but, as of 2PM yesterday, the main players stood like this:

3/1 FIFA Football 2004
3/1 Medal of Honour: Rising Sun
3/1 Return Of The King
5/1 Pop Idol
8/1 The Sims Bustin' Out
20/1 Championship Manager 03/04
20/1 Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
20/1 Tony Hawk Underground
25/1 Eye Toy: Groove
25/1 Manhunt
33/1 True Crime: Streets of LA
50/1 Mario Kart: Double Dash!
50/1 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

As you can see, the three joint favourites come courtesy of the all-conquering EA, pushing previous favourite Pop Idol into fourth place, whereas the massively under-appreciated Prince of Persia, mimicking its current chart position, assumes undeserved rank outsider status.