Political Betting Website

Fans of sports betting have a whole lot to choose from. From the big American sports like football and basketball to international sports like soccer and cricket, there’s a sport out there for all comers. There are even niche sports, too, if you’re so inclined. You can bet on the Olympic games, snooker, darts, and so much more. And believe it or not, you can even bet on the outcome of political elections.

First, let’s take a look at the best websites for betting on the political events, including the US presidential election. Best Bookmakers Offering Bets on Politics in the USA - December 2020. 100% up to $1000. Accepts Large Bets. In-Play Betting. We can confirm that the odds are great and that the variety of markets is incredible. If you want a reputable betting site with political markets to bet on, Bovada is an excellent choice. BetNow allows you to start betting in three easy steps. It’s simple to join, simple to deposit, and simple to cash out as well. BetOnline – As a long-time industry leader in online bookmaking, it has lots of great political betting markets. Betway – This is a UK-based bookmaker that holds licenses throughout. It’s illegal for US casinos to have political betting on offer. US citizens need to use offshore political betting websites. Between 1884 and 1940, the market had the correct odds 14 of the 15 elections. The underdog only won once. It’s common to find markets that surround Donald Trump’s antics.

Betting on politics is perfectly legal in the United States. The laws on the books currently don’t allow betting sites to open up shops on US soil, but there are no laws that specifically make the act of betting illegal.

It might sound a bit crazy at first, but at Political Betting Sites, we’re here to act as your go-to resource, helping you to navigate the lines and odds and select the winning candidate. While your vote may matter in a patriotic sense, your bet can matter in a financial sense. With the right information on political betting, you can make this next election a lucrative one.

Top-Rated Political Betting Sites For US Players

What Is Political Betting?

For many people unfamiliar with all the ins and outs of gambling, the fact that one can bet on politics comes as a bit of a surprise. But just like the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers’ odds to win an NBA Championship, you can find politicians with different odds to win a variety of races.

Throughout our literature, we’ll be focusing primarily on the presidential race, as that’s the biggest race going. But also understand that you can bet on local elections, the House and Senate elections, the UK’s political races, etc. You’re basically looking here to place wagers on which politician you feel will win his or her respective election. This sort of format and gambling are a match made in heaven.

As we will discuss in more detail below, there are a few different types of lines on which you can bet, and a few prop wagers that might interest some.

Betting on the Winner of the 2020 Presidential Election

As we discuss here openly, the Democratic Party has had the popular vote in America since the 1990s. But in no way is that set in stone. Betting on the 2020 Presidential election is not as simple as choosing the most popular party. You have to understand, as Al Gore and Hillary Clinton had to once learn, that the popular vote isn’t enough to win the election.

The President of the United States of America is elected by winning the most electoral votes. Electoral votes are given to states one per one million residents, and what this does is ensure that a popular vote in, say, California has more sway than a popular vote in New Hampshire. So it’s a matter of figuring out which candidate will do well in which state(s) before you put your money down.

When you’re betting on which candidate will win the presidency, you want to look for things like which candidate is polling the best in which states. For example, while Hillary Clinton for the Democrats earned some big popular vote numbers, Donald Trump for the Republicans earned more state support in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and other swing states. Winning the states is what matters, so this is what a gambler needs to focus on.

Betting on Who Will Win the Republican Nomination

The Republican race is essentially over and incumbent Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee barring the impeachment proceedings. Giving his incredible support it is highly unlikely that anyone will be able to snag the Republican nomination from the current President. For further information on the Republican nomination check out our page about betting on the Republican nomination.

Betting on Who Will Win the Democratic Nomination

When betting on the Democratic Primary, things are more up in the air. By now the Democrats have produced a number of frontrunners but no one has run away with the nomination yet. There will be a total of 12 democratic debates leading up to the Democratic nomination. Six debates are scheduled for 2019 and six are scheduled for 2020 before the nomination is awarded following the primaries.

The Legality of Betting Politics in the USA

The act of betting money on politicians is considered gambling. It is considered pure chance, not skill. Let’s make it very easy to understand here. If you want to bet on politics and gamble in this genre, it is legal for you to do so. You simply have to find a site that accepts your action and is legally licensed (outside of the USA; e.g. an offshore site). There are no laws against you gambling, you just need to find a reputable sportsbook that is licensed in a country that has legalized online gambling.

The laws against gambling in the USA have to do with gambling operators and accepting money for wagers. If you’re simply gambling with your own money on your personal time, this is legal. However, some of the politicians in this year’s presidential election would like nothing more than for gambling to be legal across the board. Though for right now, you’re free to gamble where you can find a home.

We have a page that will specifically answer the question, “Is betting on politics legal in the United States?” We will cover exactly which laws apply to sports betting in the US, and how each law comes into play when betting on politics.

Is Political Betting Similar to Sports Betting?

As we alluded to above, political betting is considered legitimate gambling; and not only gambling, but it also falls in the sports betting category. Sure, politics is far from a sport, though most would liken politics to a game of some sorts. If you can forgive the cynicism, imagine a sporting league where every player had some dirty secret and was scrupulous in the chase for a title.

Politics is a very dirty genre of western life, and while this is why most people are turned off from the goings-on in political circles, it’s precisely what makes politics a great “sport” on which to bet. If you can imagine every candidate like a team and the presidency the championship, it’s easy to see that the act of betting on a winner becomes indiscernible from a sport. And just to reiterate, this sport is legal for you to bet on. You simply have to find a great offshore site that will accept your action.

Without taking sides one way or the other, we can tell you that politics is a dirty game. The proof is on the record ad nauseum. So when seeking to bet politics, we hope you can remove yourself from your affiliation and bet based on which bet will give you the win, not which ideology you want to see in power.

Different Types of Political Bets You Can Make

In the world of political betting, there are two main types of lines on which you can place your money. You have political futures, and you have the moneyline bets. Outside of that, you can find some sites offering proposition bets.

Political Future Bets

Political futures are essentially the first real odds released. For instance, you might see a site that says something to the effect of Hillary 4:1; Trump 6:1; Biden 12:1; Castro 40:1; Sanders 40:1; etc. This is a very easy line to read. Use that 1 on the end to guide you. For every $1 bet, you get the amount of the first number. For instance, 6:1 means $1 gets you $6. Futures can be lucrative, but they’re also inherently risky.

Moneyline Bets

Moneylines in politics are no different from moneylines with any other sports betting structure. This is where you might see a line like Donald Trump -200; Elizabeth Warren +275. In essence, Trump is the favorite here, and it would take you a bet of $2 to win every $1. With Warren, however, being the underdog in this equation, every bet of $1 will win you $2.75. The moneylines listed above are not the accurate lines for this year’s elections. These lines are strictly meant to be an example.

Prop Bets

Lastly, you will be able to find some prop bets with some sportsbooks. These are bets that are typically removed from the outcome. For instance, in a D vs. R presidential election, you will be able to bet on which candidate carries a state like Ohio or Florida, or which will have more popular votes rather than electoral votes. Prop bets are something you may be able to find year-’round when dealing with politics. From the types of legislation signed into action to a politician’s popularity rating, there’s always a prop out there on which you can bet.

The United States is the oldest democracy on earth. In fact, the US is the only country in the world that has had an active democracy for at least 200 years. Having the ability to choose your leaders is a core tenet of democracy, which is why the US has some sort of election every single year.

Nowadays, the best online betting sites in the industry take bets on the US presidential election. Most experts believe the 2020 presidential election will set all sorts of new records for political betting all over the world. The following US presidential election betting sites have you covered when it comes to wagering on the 2020 US election.

George Washington won a second term in 1792 after being elected as the country’s first president in 1789. A presidential election has taken place every four years, without exception, since Washington’s second victory in 1792.

Betting on politics certainly hasn’t been around for quite as long, but betting interest has exploded over the past handful of years. You can attribute the advent of the internet and the US Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to strike down the federal ban on sports betting to the surge in gambling interest among Americans.

However, US politics betting has grown in popularity since Donald Trump’s unforeseen triumph in the 2016 presidential election over the heavily-favored Hillary Clinton. Political betting markets have existed in the United Kingdom for years, but offshore providers are now giving Americans the chance to get in on the action, too.

US Presidential Election Basics

When Is the United States Presidential Election?

The American presidential election takes place on the first Tuesday in November every four years. The aforementioned 2016 election, in which Trump toppled Clinton, went down on November 6th of that year. The 2020 edition is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd.

Events Leading up to the Election

Before the election actually takes place, the political parties have to select their respective candidates. The United States doesn’t explicitly run with a two-party system, but the vast majority of governmental power is currently shared between two parties. Those would be the Republican and Democratic parties.

The vast majority of presidents in the modern era have run for a second term in office. Barring an unforeseen event like an untimely death or a resignation, the sitting president will almost always run for a second term. If a president wishes to run for another term, their political party will almost always unite around them. Each of the last three presidents before Trump—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama—were successfully re-elected after their first terms.

The nomination process involves states holding primaries or caucuses in order to determine which candidates will be awarded a certain number of delegates. On the Democratic side, candidates vying for the 2020 nomination had to reach a threshold of at least 1,991 delegates in order to clinch the nomination. Former vice president Joe Biden officially hit that benchmark in June. These nominations processes provide excellent betting opportunities for those looking to bet real money on politics.

Each party will hold its convention in the summer leading up to Election Day. That is the event at which party delegates officially congregate to formally nominate their presidential and vice-presidential nominees. The conventions are essentially huge rallies designed to drum up support for the candidates ahead of the election in the fall.

Electoral College

While some have said that a simple popular vote should determine the outcome of an election, that isn’t the case when it comes to who wins the presidency. While congressional, gubernatorial, and mayoral elections are determined by popular vote, the presidency uses the Electoral College system, which has been in place since the late 1700s.

Each state has a distinct number of electoral votes, based on the size of that state’s population. For example, California, the nation’s most populous state, will have 55 electoral votes in the 2020 election. The least populous states, including Alaska, Montana, both Dakotas, and Vermont, have just three electoral votes. Washington DC has three as well.

Each state will count its popular vote totals on Election Day. In 48 states, the candidate that receives the majority of the votes will receive all of the state’s electoral votes. Maine and Nebraska are the only exceptions.

There are a total of 538 Electoral College votes, which means one candidate has to accrue at least 270 to clinch the presidential election. In 2016, Trump won 306 electoral votes compared to 227 for Clinton. This is despite the fact that Clinton garnered 65.8 million votes nationwide, while Trump received 62.9 million. Trump managed to eke out a majority in a number of important swing states, including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, which ultimately paved his path to victory via the Electoral College.

In all, five candidates have won the popular vote and lost the election. Clinton joined Andrew Jackson (1824), Samuel Tilden (1876), Grover Cleveland (1888), and Al Gore (2000) on that list four years ago.

What Is the Democratic Party?

The modern Democratic Party was founded in the late 1820s, which makes it the world’s oldest active political party. The party initially supported things like limited government and slavery, but it has since embraced a much more progressive, liberal platform. The party essentially changed when Franklin D. Roosevelt formed the New Deal coalition in the late 1930 to early 1940s.

The modern Democratic Party advocates for social and economic equality for United States of America citizens. Support for environmental protection, universal healthcare, more affordable college tuition, LGBT rights, stricter gun law enforcement, and the legalization of marijuana have become mainstream tenets of the Democratic party’s ideology in recent years.

As of the summer of 2020, the Democratic Party holds a majority in the US House of Representatives, though the Republican Party holds the White House and the US Senate. Democrats have won seven of the last 15 presidential elections dating back to John F. Kennedy’s victory in 1960. The most recent Democratic president was Barack Obama, who served from 2008 until 2016.

What Is the Republican Party?

The Republican Party, sometimes referred to as the Grand Old Party (GOP), was founded in 1854. The first iteration of the Republican Party staunchly opposed slavery and operated on a classically liberal platform. Needless to say, the two parties have changed their ideologies considerably over the years.

The Republican Party’s shift to the right started around 1913, and the core base moved to the southern parts of the US, following the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The party currently embraces conservatism and advocates for lower taxes, expanded gun rights, restrictions on abortion and immigration, and increased military spending.

Political Betting Sites Intrade

There have been 19 Republican presidents in all, including Donald Trump. That is the most presidents to ever come from a single United States political party. As mentioned, Republicans currently control the executive branch as well as the US Senate. Republicans also account for a majority of state governorships, as well as five of the nine sitting justices of the United States Supreme Court.

Types of US Presidential Election Bets

Futures Bets

The most common type of political bet is a futures bet on the eventual outcome. Trump’s win over Clinton in 2016 showed that there is still a potential edge to be found in the US presidential election betting odds, which is a big reason why popularity in political betting has surged in the years since. On Election Day of 2016, some UK oddsmakers had Trump as a +400 underdog to win the presidency.

Presidential betting odds are constantly shifting. The political news cycle has never been more unpredictable than it is today, and certain events can cause the odds to change considerably in a short period of time.

Some sites that offer US presidential election odds had Trump as high as around a -180 favorite to win re-election as recently as March.

Now, the betting sites with odds on the US presidential election updated their odds quite a bit. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has since emerged as a minus-money favorite at betting sites all over the UK. Those that placed a futures bet at Trump when he was at -180 will likely be jumping all over each other to place bets on the new +110 odds.

While the election will almost surely come down to Trump or Biden, US political betting sites don’t want to take any chances. Anything can happen in politics, so some candidates that have already ended their campaigns may still be listed with betting odds, just in case something unforeseen arises between now and November. Here is an example of how presidential election futures odds look at US election betting sites.

Moneyline US Presidential Election Bets

Political bets are essentially moneyline bets. If you’re familiar with sports betting, you’re familiar with the moneyline. A moneyline bet is essentially a wager on one outcome vs. another. An example of how a political moneyline wager at United States presidential election betting sites will look is as follows.

United States Election Prop Bets

When most Americans think of prop bets, they probably think of the Super Bowl. A prop bet is a wager placed on a random occurrence during a game or an event that isn’t necessarily directly tied to the outcome. Most football betting sites offer odds on a variety of things that have nothing to do with the actual football game for the Super Bowl every year.

Prop bets have since made their way into the world of political betting. The increased popularity of US presidential election prop betting is yet another thing we can attribute to Trump’s shocking win in 2016. The 45th president has had quite the eventful first term. US election betting sites have been happy to keep tabs on the latest happenings and offer bettors the chance to cash in on his antics.

Trump likes to voice his various opinions on Twitter, regardless of how controversial they may be. While a normal person may get booted from the platform for saying some of the things POTUS has said over the years, Twitter has resisted the urge to kick the sitting president out. Some sites have even put odds on Trump’s chances of getting banned from his favorite social media platform.

Other Trump-specific props include whether he’ll be removed from office before the end of his first term, whether he will appoint a new vice president before the 2020 election, or whether he will tweet about NFL players kneeling during the pregame national anthem.

Mistakes to Avoid When Betting on the US Presidential Election

Eliminate Personal Bias Before Political Betting

Fandom is something that can limit a sports bettor’s chances of turning a profit. The same can be said for political betting. Almost everyone has their own political opinions, and many choose to let other people know about them. While that’s all fine and dandy, you’re not likely to become a successful political bettor if you’re going to let your personal feelings stand in the way of making the right bet.

You shouldn’t bail on your personal political beliefs just to bet, of course. Just know that whatever cause you support isn’t necessarily going to be the right bet to place. Betting on your favorite sports team to win every game likely won’t pan out the way you’d like it to.

Don’t Overlook Population Trends

Each of the three most recent presidents winning a second term doesn’t mean that Trump will do the same in 2020. While that’s a trend that doesn’t mean much, this isn’t to say that some trends can’t help you make educated guesses with regard to your presidential election bets. The way state populations are shifting can give you a glimpse into how things may play out in the future.

Big cities with large populations tend to vote Democrat these days, while voters in more rural areas tend to lean Republican. Republicans also tend to attract a majority of white voters, while non-white voters have inched toward the Democratic side.

With the way populations are changing, some believe states like Georgia and Texas that have long track records of voting Republican in presidential elections may swing toward the Democrats. Keeping an eye on trends like these can help you evaluate political betting odds.

US Presidential Election Betting FAQ

Is It Legal to Bet on US Politics Online?

Bet On Politics

While more and more states are always voting to legalize online betting, it is still illegal for American betting operators to take bets on US politics. However, there is no restriction in place that applies to betting sites that operate overseas or offshore. American political betting has been a big industry in the UK for years, and offshore operators have expanded their political coverage considerably, as well.

While Americans can’t place political bets at land-based sportsbooks in the US, it is not difficult for them to find where to bet on the US presidential election online.

Is It Safe to Bet on the USA Presidential Election Online?

Some US politics betting sites are safer than others. There are some seedy operators out there that don’t have your best interests in mind. Considering you’re risking your own money to bet on the US presidential election online, it’s of the utmost importance that you have the confidence that you’re doing so at a safe site.

Political Betting Website

All of the political betting sites we recommend check all necessary boxes when it comes to safety and security. Read our rankings of the safest sites on the web for more info about how you can bet online safely.

Political Betting Sites Reddit

When Can I Bet on the Presidential Election?

Political Betting Sites

While the presidential election takes place every four years, you don’t have to wait four years between placing bets. As mentioned, the best US political betting sites in the industry are always keeping tabs on the latest developments in the world of politics and updating their betting odds accordingly. While you may have to wait a while for your futures bets to pay out, you can pass the time by taking a shot on certain politics-related prop bets.