Wagering on warm fronts

A busty woman with a scratchy voice shrieks into an intricate set up of radios, microphones and walkie-talkies, her tone not unlike that of a breathless Flemington race-caller. … The woman is in continuous contact with up to 100 men peppered over rice fields fringing Battambang, analyzing the sky and making calculating guesses as to when the weather may turn tempestuous. Phnal Tuek Phleang, or rain gambling, is big business in Battambang. … He [Chorn] tells us we can bet three times throughout the day—from 6am to midday, midday to 2pm and 2pm to 6pm. If it rains during your time slot, you win money, with odds determined by the rain sellers’ opinions on the likelihood of rain. … In Battambang, Chhorn says, men stand patiently in rice fields or balanced on the rooftops of buildings with a swathe of cotton or paper. If the material is soaked by a certain time, “it has rained.” He tells us these locations are kept highly secret, with “payments made” to “gambling managers.” According to the 1996 National Assembly Law on the Supression of Gambling, punting in any way, shape or form is illegal in the country for Cambodian citizens.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/7days/1848-wagering-on-warm-fronts