GIBRALTAR, April 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- Bookmakers Ready for Punters to Shell Out

www.PartyBets.com is pleased to announce that it is offering odds on a 'turtley' different kind of race. Forget the Grand National, the focus is now on the "The Great Turtle Race," which sees tracking devices attached to 11 female leatherback turtles to monitor them as they take their annual journey from Costa Rica to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Their progress can be tracked on the web.

The race, which is being held to highlight the plight of these beautiful creatures, which are the world's largest turtles, is already underway with Genevieve and Stephanie Colburtle the early joint 6/1 favourites. There is speculation that Genevieve is battle hardened from a run-in with a shark, while Stephanie Colburtle is said to be the largest turtle in the race.

A PartyBets.com spokesman said: "We've had a number of enquiries from punters who are keen to shell out on a bet on which of the swimmers has enough turtle power to reach the Galapagos. Darwin formed many of his theories of evolution on the famous islands and this survival of the fittest is bound to capture the imagination of many. There are no pizza breaks in this race, these are super turtles not ninja turtles."

"Studying the form of the turtles is something we have never done before! Factors that were taken into account include condition, weight, speed and egg laying history. All are likely to be key to determining who the winner might be. It's not really a case of 'they're under starters orders and they're off' with female leatherback turtles - it is said they can grow to up to six feet and weigh over 2,000 pounds."

The race is organized and sponsored by a variety of organizations and promotes a serious message. It is said that the female leatherback turtle population has shrunk from an estimated 115,000 in 1980 to around 43,000 today.

www.PartyBets.com will settle results based on the official outcome.

PartyBets.com: Who Will Win "The Great Turtle Race?" Stephanie Colburtle 6/1 Genevieve 6/1 Turtleocity 7/1 Freedom 7/1 Saphira 8/1 Champiro 8/1 Billie 8/1 Purple Lightning 9/1 Windy 10/1 Sundae 16/1 Drexelina 16/1

PartyBets.com is a popular member of PartyGaming Plc's growing suite of online products that includes PartyPoker.com, PartyCasino.com, PartyBingo.com, PartyGammon.com, Gamebookers.com and EmpirePoker.com.

For more information contact, Warren Lush: warrenl@partygaming.com