There is a wealth of opportunities when it comes to online betting, and one of the most exciting, and potentially lucrative, betting markets is politics. The 2016 EU referendum saw betting markets predict the outcome of the vote with remarkable precision, and it is a trend that is set to continue.
In politics, just as in life, there are good times and bad times. This year will be a pivotal one in terms of the future of the United Kingdom, and it is a fascinating subject to speculate on the outcomes and possible reactions of each race or political event.
Why Politics?
It is a common misconception that politics and betting are necessarily linked. After all, many people would be surprised to learn that politics and online betting go hand-in-hand. Why? Because, traditionally, people have bet on the outcome of political events in bookmakers’ odds. However, online platforms have made it much easier for people to place wagers on political figures and policies without needing to go through a bookmaker or online betting site.
The proliferation of smartphones, tablets and computers have made it much easier for people to access the internet and use betting sites. This has led to a rise in popularity of online betting among ordinary people, and it is an opportunity for bookmakers to attract new customers and retain existing ones.
Who Will Win the Presidency?
On the 4th of November 2016, the United States of America will go to the polls to elect a new president. As in the case of the Brexit referendum, there are several intriguing political betting markets available for Americans to wager on. Here are four intriguing political betting markets you might want to consider placing a wager on.
The first is the race to become the 45th president of the United States. The odds of this are 7/2 Trump, the current favorite, to be the next vice president of the United States, 8/1 Clinton and 5/1 Sanders. These are quite good odds considering that the favorite is already 20/1 and there are only three candidates remaining. The next US president will be the third person to hold the office in its 239-year history. In other words, there is a lot of history riding on this election.
The second race is the contest to become the 46th vice president of the United States. The odds of this are Trump (7/2) to be the next president of the United States, Clinton (8/1) to be the next vice president, and Sanders (5/1) to be the next secretary of state. This is another very interesting political betting market. Many people will be vying for the position of vice president, including the current vice president, Joe Biden. If Biden decides to run for president, he will most likely be the favorite in the 2020 election.
Which Will Be the Next Prime Minister?
The United Kingdom will also go to the polls on the 8th of June 2017 to choose their next prime minister. The bookmakers’ favorite to lead the United Kingdom next is Theresa May (2/1), the current prime minister. However, the odds of Jeremy Corbyn (7/1) becoming prime minister are quite good. We should also point out that there are several other interesting betting options when it comes to the next United Kingdom prime minister. For instance, there is the race between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt (both are 10/1), or between Michael Gove and Hunt (both are 12/1). All are intriguing options and open to bettors.
Which Will Be the Next Leader of the Opposition?
The official Opposition in the UK is currently led by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party. However, the odds of Corbyn becoming the next leader of the opposition are very good. The next best option is David Cameron (7/2), the current prime minister who led his party to an electoral upset in 2015. The other options are Nick Clegg (12/1), the former deputy prime minister, and Nigel Farage (20/1), the former UKIP leader. This is an interesting political betting market because the next leader of the opposition will become head of the house of commons in the UK and will have the power to amend the country’s laws. It is a very pivotal role indeed.
The Future of the UK
The United Kingdom is a country that was once considered to be at the forefront of technology. The online and mobile betting industries developed here first, and there are several reasons why the UK could be heading for another exit from the EU. It started with Nigel Farage, the prominent Brexit backer, who launched his own political party, the UK Independence Party (Ukip) in early 1999. The party’s main purpose was to pressure the British government into leaving the EU, and it has successfully achieved that goal. However, as mentioned above, the Brexit vote (removal of the UK from the EU) was not a simple matter of odds. There were several other factors that played a role in the UK’s decision to leave the EU, including immigration and a desire to improve living standards.
The 2017 General Election is also significant because, for the first time in 68 years, there will be a minority government in the UK. This could lead to several intriguing situations. For instance, it is possible that Boris Johnson, the current foreign secretary and front runner in the race to become the next prime minister, could negotiate the UK’s exit from the EU on behalf of a new Conservative/Unionist government. This would make him the country’s favorite for “Brexit”, if we consider his role in the campaign as well as his party’s stance on the EU before and after the referendum. It is also possible that a Labour government could pull off a series of compromises to ensure that the UK stays within the EU. This could result in policies that favor the status quo. However, it could also lead to meaningful change in the way the UK functions as an independent nation.
The next few months will be very insightful regarding the future of the UK. The country is due to leave the EU on the 1st of January 2019, and many people will be watching closely as to how the negotiations unfold.