Donald Trump has rough August with sportsbooks
By Jeff Glauser
A year ago, Donald Trump began his presidential campaign, of which he won the Republican nomination against all odds. This month, the literal odds of him reaching the White House just got steeper.
According to SportsBookReview.com, Trump’s odds of winning the presidency have almost doubled at some online sportsbooks since he closed July at 2-1. At that time, Bovada pegged him at +200, while Hillary Clinton was -240 and. For the hardcore gamblers/optimists, “Other” was at +1200.
Bettors who predicted Trump would end up becoming the Republican nominee hold tickets that pay as much as 66-to-1 if he does become the next president of the United States.
As far as prop betting markets are concerned, sportsbooks are taking bets on a wide range of outcomes. These include individual state electoral voting, dark-horse winners who aren’t on the presidential tickets, and more. For example, Trump winning in the state of Florida returns the odds of +220, while Clinton’s odds are -300 (a $300 wager pays $100).
Speaking of, the Sunshine State could be one of the most crucial. Though Clinton has a solid lead in the polls, fivethiryeight.com pegged it as high as a 16.3 percent chance of tipping the election. Both candidates will likely be spending quite a bit of time there to ensure a victory.
The results of the 2016 Election seemed like a foregone conclusion only a few months ago. Most online sportsbooks listed Democratic nominee Clinton as a heavy favorite. However, political scandals and leaked email information has seen the line fall all the way down to -240 at most online betting sites.
Speech-specific prop bets are also expected to be released soon for the upcoming presidential and vice presidential candidate debates.
If nothing else, Trump is giving us one of the more incredible few months this country has ever known. Whether that is a good thing remains a matter of interpretation.