The US presidential elections are a long affair, with plenty of intrigue and shifts happening throughout the process. This makes it exceedingly exciting for betting enthusiasts. There are so many ways to place your bets on elections and so many factors to take into consideration when looking at the odds.
The Candidates
The race starts of with candidates announcing that they are running for president. Of course, you have the two major parties – the democrats and the republicans. Each party has candidates throwing their names into the ring. As of August 2023, there were 12 republican candidates and only 3 democrats running. There was also one outsider running for a third party – yet to be decided.
Odds on these names are all up and running already for those wanting to bet on the outcomes of the official nominations and the overall election. Current president Joe Biden tops the odds with most bookmakers, with former president Donald Trump coming in second.
The National Conventions
The next step in the process is the primary elections that happen in each state around the country. This is when the voters say who they want to see run as the official nomination for their party. The various leaders of the states then gather for the national conventions. They’re set for August 2024 for the next elections. At these conventions, the state leaders vote on the candidates according to the outcome of their state’s primary election results.
As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities to bet on the outcomes here. You can bet on each state’s primaries, as well as the national convention results.
The Actual Elections
Finally, you have the actual elections for the president and vice president. These are set for November 5, 2024. For these, you can bet on the outright winner. You can also bet on actual vote numbers – how much each candidate gets or how much more one gets over another.
The Current Odds
There are so many moving parts in the US general elections that it can be difficult to work out when you should start placing your bets. Right now, you could probably bet on who you think will announce their candidacy. The bookmakers are putting out odds on most political figures, as well as many celebrities that have somehow ended up with a rumor about running attached to their names. For instance, Kanye West, Bill Gates and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are all sitting with odds of +20000 even though none of them have announced anything official.
Next year is when it will all really kick off, especially in the run up to the primaries across the country. Before those elections, you’ll get a much clearer idea of who is a definite candidate and a definite contender. From this point, election betting gets very exciting.
You also shouldn’t forget about betting on the winning party. Right now, the odds are fairly even for the Democrats and the Republicans, making it a tricky bet.