Exclusive | Here are the odds on the next pope, the name he will take, and the country hes from

The conclave to elect the new pope is just days away — and bettors are laying down cash wagers on who will be chosen, his papal name and nationality, and even the number of voting rounds it will take.“Odds on the next pope have been available since the beginning of the year and grew in popularity following Francis’ illness.But betting has increased now that we know the date of the conclave” — May 7, said Jake Ashton, senior news editor of the online sports betting community OLBG.Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin is the 15-to-8 favorite — slightly better than 2-1 odds — to become the next pontiff, according to the latest report by OLBG.Parolin, 70, a native of Italy, is the man Pope Francis chose to lead the conclave, where cardinals from all all over the world vote for the next pope in isolation from the outside world — with no access to phones, the internet or newspapers.Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, 67, of the Philippines, dubbed “Asian Francis,” is second with 5-2 odds.

If elected he would make history as the first Asian pope.Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, 76, who Pope Francis named chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences, is third at 5-1.

He’d be the first African pope.If you are betting on nationality, oddsmakers say the likelihood of the new pope hailing from a nation that has never produced a pope is 5-6; and even money that he will be from Italy.The conclave, which is held at the Sistine Chapel, consists of cardinals holding ballot sessions until one papal candidate has more than two-thirds of the vote.The over/under on the number of rounds it will take for cardinals to elect the pope is 4.5.Once the new pope accepts, he is asked to choose a name.As for the new papal name, Leo and Pius are frontrunners at 2-1.Gambling on papal elections is illegal in the US, but “more than $12 million has been placed on the market on exchange betting sites around the world,” Ashton said....