Brits betting on a Britney baby

　　Will Britney have a little pop star?

　　The odds on the virginal pop star — whose hits incl ude " Baby One More Time " — were issued by the Jack Br own Group of Wales.

　　In order for a bettor (打赌者) to collect, 19-year-old Britney would have to give birth sometime before New Ye ar's Eve next year—meaning that, barring a premature ba by, she'd have to get pregnant by March.

　　A spokesman for Britney's record company, Jive, say s it is highly unlikely the teen star will follow in he r idol Madonna's footsteps and become a mom in the near future.

　　And he dismissed the odds as a publicity stunt.

　　"I would not put my money on it. If the odds were 5 00-1, it might be worth putting a pound on it ,but only if you could afford to lose the money, " the spokesman said.

　　by Bill Hoffmann