Is the Earth Flat? Man Says Bookmakers Won't Take Bet Because They Know He'll Win

A British man cannot find a bookmaker to take his bet that the Earth is flat, arguing the companies won't entertain his gamble because they know he'll win.

Gerrard Gallacher, from the U.K.'s northeastern port town of Grimsby, has already been turned down by a host of well-known betting companies who say his request is not a valid one, according to the Grimsby Telegraph.

Gallacher said he is confident he could win big, if only someone would take the bet. "I think the reason that they won't accept my bet is because they know that I am right in saying that the Earth is flat," he told the Telegraph, "and if other people joined me in placing the bet they could lose millions."

The Flat-Earther said he is happy to be proved wrong, and that if the betting companies were so sure the Earth is round they should take the bet. "It's just easy money for them," Gallacher argued, having tried to place a £100 (around $135) bet several times, but one company told him it would be too difficult to prove if he was right or wrong.

British bookmakers have been known to accept a range of outlandish bets, from the return of Elvis to the date of the Apocalypse. Even now, British gamblers can take a punt on who will play the next James Bond or whether the Spice Girls will reunite.

"They have even accepted one saying Elvis will come back from the dead," Gallacher said, "so why not that the is Earth flat?"

Interest in the Flat Earth conspiracy has been booming in recent years, with Google search results for the theory reaching an all-time high in the U.S. last year. The growth of social media has allowed theories to spread all over the world with no oversight, buoyed by celebrity endorsements.

Gallacher says he was first drawn to the theory of a flat Earth some years ago, but after researching the topic in more depth he became convinced. "I just don't believe that we have ever sent rockets into space," he told the newspaper. "I cannot comprehend that if space is a vacuum where there is no air, then what do the rockets propel against?"

For this reason, Gallacher does not believe that any true images of Earth taken from space exist. Instead, he accuses NASA of using computer-generated images in their stead.

Though scientists assure Flat-Earthers that the visible curve of the horizon is proof of a spherical globe, Gallacher is yet to be convinced. "I have also viewed footage of amateur weather balloons that clearly show to me that the Earth is flat, as I cannot see a curvature anywhere," he explained.

He found more evidence in observing the behavior of water. "Apparently water is always meant to fall at a level and does not bend," Gallacher said, "So then how does the Earth manage to bend water all the way around a globe? It just doesn't seem to add up."

Despite his confidence and supposed evidence, Gallacher remains open-minded. "I am sure that I am right, but willing to be proven wrong. A bookmaker just needs to step up to the plate and take my bet."