Betting On Politics
We talk about the passion surrounding fans and sports, but even that doesn't really come close to striking up a conversation about politics. There is no question that politics is a hot topic no matter when or where. Here in the United States, online sportsbooks get in on the action as well, routinely forming betting odds on politics. On this page, we talk about the different types of betting odds that you could see on politics, where to bet on them, and how to bet on politics online. You might be surprised to find that there are quite a bit of betting options and a variety of lines that can be found during the year.
As avid bettors ourselves, we have generated a few tips that we think will be helpful for betting on Politics. These lines are certainly different than when it comes to betting on a game, or game prop line. There are no against the spread statistics to research for the President. But here are a couple of tips that might be helpful.
Polling data is the political bettor's best friend and worst enemy.
Thanks to the Internet, we now have as much access to polling data as political insiders and politicians themselves. Because polling is big business, with polls starting as many as two years before a major election, gamblers can get a long look at the odds of various political outcomes. Couple the overall polling data with more specific polls near the date of an election and you'll have two sets of data to handicap the election: long-term favorable and unfavorable opinions combined with polls of "likely voters." Knowing how the American voting public feels about the Democratic candidate, compared to his Republican counterpart, is often a better clue to the outcome of the election than polls of registered (so-called "likely") voters.
Apply your sports betting skills to election outcomes.
As a sports bettor, you're already familiar with the mathematics of odds. That gives you an edge over political bettors who may only be in it for the politics. Elections have underdogs and favorites, just like sporting events. Another similarity is the performance of candidates in the past; handicapping a political candidate is pretty much the same as handicapping a starting pitcher.
Avoid betting on political races with your emotions.
It is much easier to take your personal opinion of a sporting event out of your gambling than it is to shake off your political affiliation. If you're placing real-money wagers on elections, you have to put your personal preference or beliefs aside, something that people interested in politics have a tough time doing. If you must, replace candidate's names and political affiliation with numbers and letters; it may help you picture the election from an oddsmaker's perspective rather than from the perspective of a participant in the political process.
In American presidential elections, the incumbent has a huge advantage.
This tip applies specifically to US presidential elections, and for good reason. Only ten American presidents have beat the incumbent to take the nation's highest political office. The sitting president has a massive advantage against his opponents, so much so that bets laid against an incumbent are akin to flushing your money down the drain. In the case of the American presidential election, one of the most common political bets in the world, the smart money almost always aligns with a sitting president.
MORE: Laws for Gambling
Wagering on Politics deals with straight betting. But there are a couple of different straight wagers that can be made on politics, which we talk about and briefly detail below.
- Presidential Betting Odds - These Presidential betting odds are formed, with a bet placed on the winning party, or candidate for the upcoming election.
- Political Prop Betting Odds - Depending on the current events in the country, a political prop could vary. Typically, these prop betting odds for politics center around the upcoming presidential election. But they can also be about a number of different topics.
Politics are not an extensive part of legal online sports betting, but they certainly make up an important portion outside of the realm of sports. Not every online sportsbook has them, but we review two below that have among the best reputations in the industry.
Bovada Sportsbook provides bettors with Political betting odds up almost year round. Presidential betting lines lead the way, but other types of prop lines can be formed depending on events in the world. Bovada makes betting on politics easy, and offer a 50% bonus up to $100 on first deposits into an account. Bettors from the United States are accepted, with deposit methods and withdrawal methods catering to every player. So be sure to check out Bovada and see what they have to offer.
Bovada Deposit Bonus: 50% Up To $250 On First Deposit - Claim It!!!
5Dimes is another USA friendly sportsbook that fields wagers on politics. Check out the latest betting lines to win the Presidential election here, as well as other political props that could be formed at any time. 5Dimes offers some great bonuses for player, including a 50% to $200 then 20% to $500. 5Dimes offers several deposit and cashout methods for players, listing them all on the site. Check out all that 5Dimes has to offer and get betting on politics today.
5Dimes Deposit Bonus: 50% Up to $200 - Then 20$ Up To $500 - Claim It!!!
| Legal Sports Betting Sites | Sportsbook | Bonuses Available During the Political Season | Visit Online Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|---|
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Bovada | 50% Match Bonus Good To $250 Free | Visit Bovada Sportsbook |
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SportsBetting | 50% Sign Up Bonus, Up To $1,000 | Visit SportsBetting.ag |
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BetOnline | 50% Bonus up to $1,000! | Visit BetOnline Sportsbook |
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BetDSI | 100% up to $500 | Visit BetDSI Sportsbook |
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5Dimes | 50% Sign Up Bonus, Up To $520 | Visit 5Dimes Sportsbook |
