Punters who bet on a high IQ

BETTING on horse-racing may not be such a mug’s game after all – a study found that men who are willing to risk cash after weighing up the runners’ chances have a higher IQ than those who do not.

Academics believe this is because racing enthusiasts often have to make difficult decisions, as success can depend upon analysing the previous form of a horse, unlike other forms of chance gambling such as the lottery or slot machines. They may also prefer complex accumulator bets.

The study of 15,500 British gamblers by Liverpool University and the University of Eastern Finland said: ‘Compared to the average man in our sample, the average bettor has a higher IQ score.

‘It is plausible that intelligent people gain satisfaction from absorbing themselves in tasks that involving crunching numbers such as horse wagering. They enjoy the intellectual challenge.’

Researcher Jani Saastamoinen wrote in the Journal Of Behavioral Decision Making: ‘Bettors use knowledge and skills to make a careful judgment of the outcome of a race.’