91 Percent of Last Minute Bets on Donald Trump: Odds Shorten by a Point
The UK’s third largest bookmaker, Paddy Power, has reported that 91 percent of last minute bets on the US Presidential race were coming in on GOP nominee Donald Trump.
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On Monday and Tuesday the Republican candidate outshone his rival in terms of both the number and the volume of wagers, according to figures Ireland's largest bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair Plc tweeted on Tuesday evening. Just shy of 100,000 euros ($111,000) in bets came in, with 91 percent of that for Trump.
Betting exchanges and bookmakers the likes of Paddy Power have often served as a strong indicator of public sentiment when it comes to political elections.
Just last month Paddy Power paid out on all Hillary Clinton wagers despite the fact the election is yet to be called.
Paddy Power on Wednesday was one of the few books offering both Clinton and Trump at -120 odds. Trump’s odds had shortened dramatically in just the last 24 hours from 2-1 at most books to near EVEN. Clinton’s odds had dropped from -250 to -120 most books.
"This election's been a serious betting anomaly" said Féilim Mac An Iomaire, a spokesman for the company, confirming that data in a phone call. Even before October 28, when FBI Director James Comey announced the discovery of new e-mails potentially related to a probe that has troubled the Clinton campaign, money placed on a Trump victory amounted to almost the same as that bet on his rival, despite her lead in opinion polls.
"You don't normally see so much placed on the outside candidate but I think the shock of Brexit is fresh in people's minds," Mac An Iomaire said.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
