:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Illustrirte_Zeitung_1843_Die_Schluscene_aus_dem_fliegenden_Hollander-176179be1bd44280bac97c32a87173fc.png "Bet on political events")
The gambling industry, once considered a pariah in American politics, has emerged in the 1990s as an important political player.
Political Betting Sites: What to Look for. When we look at different sportsbooks that cover politics and elections, there are certain things we want to see. These are important aspects of online gambling that make your betting experience ideal. Deposit Options and Withdrawals. The betting sites that we champion will accept different forms of.
Politics Gambling Sites with Fast Payouts. Playing at the best bookmakers for politics has all the thrill you need. You’ll often be placing your bets well in advance and might have to wait weeks or even months to see the result. Political wagering is a sure way to test your patience. Min deposit £10. A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Free Bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expires after 7 days. Free Bet stakes not included in returns. Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. Casino.
The newfound power of the 'gaming industry,' as it likes to call itself, has been reflected in the changing positions of U.S. president George W. Bush. As governor of Texas, Bush wooed religious conservatives by boasting of his 'strong antigambling record,' moving to shut down an Indian-run casino and declaring, 'Casino gambling is not OK. It has ruined the lives of too many adults, and it can do the same thing to our children.' As a presidential candidate, by contrast, he has accepted large campaign contributions from casinos and even appeared personally at a Las Vegas casino for a fundraiser for his reelection campaign.
Political Gambling Site Websites
'Bush's retreat from his antigambling rhetoric came as Republican lobbyists and activist groups collected tens of millions of dollars from Indian tribes seeking to preserve their casinos,' reported the Boston Globe. 'When Bush was a firm opponent of gambling, his position opened the door for GOP lobbyists to court gaming tribes worried about a tough administration policy. After Bush dropped his antigambling rhetoric, lobbyists touted their access, and fund-raising from Indian tribes grew exponentially.'
As a result, says Tom Grey, a Methodist minister who heads the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling, 'gambling has become the feeding trough' for politicians. [1]
The Tigua
Bush's personal role centered around the Tigua Indian tribe, which opened a casino in El Paso, Texas after Congress passed legislation in 1988 clearing the way for Indian gaming. Bush took a hard line against the casino, which was eventually closed down in part thanks to aggresive campaign by former Christian Coalition head Ralph Reed and Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Ironically, Reed's campaign against the Tigua casino was financed by rival Indian tribes that were also involved in gambling and wanted to eliminate competition from the Tiguas. Even more ironically, Reed and Abramoff then offered their services to the Tigua, collecting millions of dollars in fees as the Tigua paid them to lobby for reopening the casino they had just shut down.
'The key to the deal, Abramoff told the Tiguas in e-mails, was that they had to start supporting Republicans with significant contributions,' reported the Boston Globe. 'He laid out a plan for the Tiguas to make contributions to various Republican politicians and committees. For example, the Tiguas gave $90,000 to three national Republican committees in March 2002, just after the tribe met with Abramoff, according to federal records.
'Eventually, Abramoff sketched out an elaborate deal involving contributions to key members of Congress, but though the tribe came through with some of the contributions, the deal fell apart. The casino remained closed.' [2]
During Bush's 2004 re-election campaign, he received $345,610 in campaign contributions from gambling interests, compared to only $100,000 received by Kerry.
See also
External links
- Michael Kranish, 'Gambling, GOP politics intertwine,' Boston Globe, June 3, 2005.
- Bob Martin, 'Losing the high ground,'The Montgomery [Alabama] Independent, August 19, 2005: 'Now, after the start of Sen. John McCain's inquiry into the looting of nearly $100 million in American Indian gambling revenues by lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Grover Norquist, Michael Scanlon and Ralph Reed, it appears that millions of dollars from tribes with gambling facilities found their way into the hands of the Christian Coalition, the Coalition Against Gambling Expansion and others who were using the Indian funding, particularly money from the Mississippi Choctaws, to fight a lottery and video gaming in Alabama.'
Many people might not think that a lot of people bet on political events and outcomes and that it’s a complete waste of time. What many don’t know, is that there is much money to be made in the increasingly large world of political betting. Bookmaker online and around the world have added political betting markets due to its popular demand.
Because there is always some sort of election or congressional nomination going on in the world bets are pretty popular. The most popular of these bets is the US Presidential race that in the past few years has been tight. The great thing about online sports books is that not only can you bet on your favourite politicians but you can also bet on outcomes around the world. Below we will discuss the different odds and betting types for political betting and go through some examples of each. First, let’s take a look at the best websites for betting on the political events, including the US presidential election.
/GettyImages-145672092-56b61f713df78c0b13580800.jpg "Gambling")
Terms & Conditions: T&Cs Apply. Full terms apply.
How To Bet On Politics
When it comes to betting on politics, there’s really only two types of bets you can make including the straight up and money line bets. Since the scope of politics is narrow in comparison to other sports you will see most bookmakers only offering these two types of bets which we’ve outlined for you in detail below.
- Straight Up Bet: The straight up bet is usually the most common type of bet that one would place when betting on politics. This bet is basically a wager on who will win a certain election or riding. The odds would be given to each candidate before the end of the elections and its up to you to bet on who wins. The favourite to win will have lower odds and the underdog will have higher odds. An example of this is during the 2010 US Presidential race Barack Obama had odds of 2:1 which meant that for every dollar you put down you would get $2 back. As for Senator McCain, his odds were 4:1 so that every dollar wagered to win would result in $4 back. McCain had a chance to win but Obama was the favourite and paid less.
- Money Line Bets: Another type of bet is a money line bet which is a wager on how much a certain candidate would win by. For example using the 2010 US Presidential race, if one was to wager that Obama would take at least 50% of all the states that would be considered a money line bet. These bets are quite fun as you can bet straight up on one candidate and bet on if another candidate would take a state.
Major Political Elections
- Presidential Elections (US): this election is probably one of the most popular and most watched across the globe. The person that takes office is usually considered one of the most powerful people in the world. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the primaries and the final election between the two parties in the US. This is also a great time for bettors to make wagers as it adds to all the excitement. The elections happen every 4 years and occur in October/November, with the winner being elected President of the United States and moving to the White House.
- Congressional Elections: Not all sports books carry these elections but Congressional elections are also very popular to bet on in the US. Certain races like the governor of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger) were very highly covered and many sports books placed bets.
Online Political Betting
Tips for Political Betting
The best way to become really good at betting on politics is to become very good at predicting the popularity of each candidate. External factors that come into play are scandals and death which are really hard to predict. The leading and most popular candidate can change from day to day and this was evident in the US primaries where Obama beat out Hilary Clinton. Many people had their money on the Hill Dog as the one to win it. Political bettors also must keep abreast of the so called “temperature” of a candidate as they are running for office. Politics is very dirty and ruthless and it all depends on the image of the person running and they have to be squeaky clean in order to pass through popular opinion.
Political Gambling Site Definition
The best way to keep track of your lucky candidate is by using the internet. It is one of the best ways to have instant updates on your candidates and their competition. Usually when information is leaked its on either a blog or a very big internet site. News programs such as CNN and others are great for keeping track of up to date facts and have great access to public opinion polls. Using these types of media will not always help you pick a winner but it will give you the most up to date standing of each of you candidates. The online sports books will usually offer the best odds on the underdog candidates. For bettors looking for more risk and a higher payout will like to bet on the underdog.