Betting On The Election

Would you spend election night here if you had money on it?

Now that the kickoff of football season has woken the betting giant inside many of us, some may be wondering what other big ticket events we can wager money on. Luckily in Las Vegas, there's a seemingly endless supply of sports bets from football and baseball to soon-to-be-back basketball and hockey. Casinos are even laying odds on the World Series of Poker, these days. So, it came as not much of a surprise to find a question posed on TripAdvisor regarding an upcoming event that at least two individuals have been wagering heavily on for months already.

Much like the Olympics, betting on the presidential election is not allowed in the U.S. of A. Before you jump to defriend us, don't worry we won't stray into the pool of political opinion and will solely focus on the betting aspect and, perhaps, a couple humorous but bipartisan comments.

Jump the pond over the U.K., however, and bettors are free to put money down on Obama, Romney, red and blue states, and electoral votes. At the online arm of Ladbrokes, the incumbent is lined up as the favorite at 1/3, which is a little different than how U.S. odds are presented, but means a winning bet of $300 wins $100. The Romney line is currently at 21/10, or a $100 bet yields $210.

Other potential bets include:
· Total number of states Romney wins: Over/under at 25.5
· Individual states either candidate wins
· Number of electoral votes either candidate takes home, for example: ✻Tie of 269 votes (100 to 1)
✻Obama wins 410 or more (8/1)
✻Romney winning over 410 (20/1)

As for political commentary, one TA reader points out that Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson has already made a rather large wager on this election. While another asks, "Can you bet on this in London with Silver Bullion? Since the dollar loses value no matter which one wins." Ouch.

Would you bet on the election if you could? Do you get an itch every four years if you're geographically located where you can bet on it? What other non-sports events would you lay the odds on if you could? The election of Holly's replacement? The opening date of Bagatelle or Hakkasan?

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