Betting on the political markets is one of those novelty bets that has been with us since long before the advent of the internet. In the pre-digital era, long-established companies such as Ladbrokes and William Hill were quoting political odds for general elections and other major votes.
In the modern day, the choice has expanded to take in polls from all over the world. If a country is holding an election, you can be certain that at least one bookmaker has published a market for it. Back in Great Britain, the options for uk politics odds have extended beyond the General Election and into many other areas. Votes on the next leader of the main political parties will attract prices and we should get at least one bookie quoting whenever a by-election comes along.
Then, of course, there is the dreaded Brexit. Whatever your opinion may be on this long-running affair, it’s given an opportunity for more political odds markets to be produced.
Elections also provide the potential for a host of side bets so, as we can see, there’s never been a better time to get involved with political betting. Before you do – please take a moment to check out our guide.
Difference Between Betting On Sports vs Politics
There are similarities between sports and politics betting but there are also some clear differences. The benefit, in the modern day, is that those bookmakers that are involved will list their uk politics odds on the main sports page so you don’t have to leave the site to place a bet.
As with sports bets, political odds can also be found on the straight result while there should be a good choice of side markets too. The key differences include the general lack of live betting on politics and, as a rule, the majority of options are carried out on an ante post basis.
In addition, it’s important to note that not all bookies like to get involved with this type of bet. If we’re talking about a UK General Election, it’s likely that most of the industry will get on board and you will have no problem finding the bets that you want. If, however, you are looking at a UK by-election or a national poll in another part of the world such as Sweden, Italy, New Zealand or similar, the selection of bookmakers really starts to dwindle.
Because of this, it’s even more important to find the right sportsbook as there can be good value in any political market.
What Political Markets Can I Bet On?
We’ve already mentioned the option to bet on the winner of a General Election. That’s the obvious place to start for new political bettors but there is much more to enjoy. Punters can find uk politics odds for who will earn the most seats but they can also speculate on whether or not they think that a named party will gain an overall majority. The vote share for individual parties is also made available during a big General Election vote.
In times when politics is very fluid, you can also find markets on the next leader of the big political parties.
On a more obscure level, certain bookmakers will publish odds on what the turnout will be at an election vote. You should find that political odds are listed for various options starting at under 60% but not all bookies will decide to get involved with this one.
The month and year of the next election will also attract betting markets and there are likely to be specials for all of the main leaders. Options in this respect might include speculation on when they will step down from their role.
From the obvious to the obscure, there’s never been a busier time for political betting.
Politics Bet Type FAQs
Election/Referendum Result Markets
These are the most obvious markets to bet on. General Elections take place all over the world and while the UK attracts the most attention, the Presidential Election in the United States also sees a flurry of bets placed. Beyond that, you can find political odds for elections in most countries across the world.
Most countries also have referendums on various questions within the nation. Brexit is an obvious example but look out for similar votes right across the globe.
Next Party Leader Markets
Punters can certainly find a raft of uk politics odds relating to the next party leader. These will focus on the main parties – Conservative, Labour, Lib Dems – but you should be able to find markets for the smaller organisations such as the Greens and UKIP.
This market does extend into other parts of the world – most notably the US – but it attracts more attention from the bookmakers in the UK.
Year of Next Election Markets
This is largely self explanatory and an easy bet to follow. It can, sometimes, be an obvious one to call as there are restricted options. In the UK, the ruling party must call a new General Election within five years so you only have five bets to choose from.
In the United States, Presidential Elections are set every four years and are rarely moved unless a President resigns, is impeached, or dies in office. This is a bet where political odds are less likely to be found in other parts of the world but they can appear at times so keep a look out if you want to expand your own political betting activities.
Number of Seats Markets
Once again, this is a very simple concept even for those who are new to political betting. What we need to do here is take one of the parties in contention and stake on the number of seats that we think they will win during the vote.
In the December UK General Election of 2019, we’ll take the Labour Party as an example and here we find that there were five different options, starting at less than 200 and ending with 300+
Number of seats markets are available for other national elections and there can be some good prices for those who can call a winner.
UK Political Betting Events
Political odds come in from all over the world but there is a big focus on options from the UK. Many bookmakers are based here and this is their target market so expect to see most options directed towards British Politics.
Here are some of the markets to look for:
Next British Prime Minister Odds
This is a market based on the man or woman coming in to replace the current incumbent. Therefore, as of November 2019, you would not be able to bet on Boris Johnson ahead of the December General Election as he is already in situ. Instead, you can take Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, Jo Swinson of the Lib Dems or any one of a host of names which we will list in the next section.
This is a constant market although, of course, there will be more interest in this set of uk political odds when a General Election is on the horizon.
Next British Prime Minister Winner Odds
Boris Johnson, current British Prime Minister
Currently, the leader of the opposition is the favourite in this market. Jeremy Corbyn can be claimed at best odds of 3/1 with Ladbrokes and that gives the Labour leader a clear gap in front of the chasing pack.
Next up is another Labour man – Keir Starmer – who is listed at a top price of 16/1 with BetFred and that puts him just ahead of Jo Swinson at a best of 18/1 with William Hill. Hills also go best price on Michael Gove at 28/1 and Dominic Raab at 33/1 before Nigel Farage comes along at 33/1 with BetFred.
Our personal opinion is that you could be waiting a long time for this bet to pay out. The Conservatives look set for power at the end of 2019 and while they may not get an overall majority, that would leave Boris Johnson in charge for at least another five years. Therefore, as a long term bet, Dominic Raab at 33/1 isn’t your worst option.
Visit this page to find more UK betting odds.
Most Seats – Next UK General Election
This is a bet that generally only comes along once a UK General Election is announced. You might just get some long term ante post political odds from one or two bookmakers but it’s more likely that the market will be dormant most of the time.
For reference, ahead of the General Election in December 2019, the Conservatives were huge favourites at odds of just 1/20 with SportingBet and Royal Panda. Labour followed at 12/1 with BetFred and then the gap moved right out to the Lib Dems at 100/1 with BetFred again.
We don’t think there is too much value in those figures – the Conservatives should convert – so if you like your profits to be small ones, by all means jump on board.
US Political Betting Events
Outside of the UK, most of the political betting focus falls on the United States. In general, it’s not been as active over the years as it is in the UK but the presence of a certain President Donald Trump has changed all that.
Since his election in 2016, there have been a host of specials markets relating to Trump including impeachment and even on whether the US had a larger nuclear button than North Korea. For more regular options, we can still bet on the next President of the United States and, generally speaking, these markets are up on a permanent basis.
US Presidential Election 2020 Winner Odds
With the next US Presidential Election vote less than a year away, there are a host of options still to pick through. That’s because the Democratic Party have yet to name their candidate while there are the potential impeachment issues with Donald Trump.
In the United States, there are only two political parties to take seriously – the Democrats and the Republicans. There is always the potential for a third party to join in the process but the chances of them getting into power are remote to say the least.
Donald Trump, Us President
Ahead of the 2020 vote, current President Donald Trump remained a strong favourite despite all the negative publicity that surrounded him. Trump can be claimed at best odds of 11/8 with Ladbrokes and that puts him ahead of Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren who are both available at a top price of 7/1 with Unibet.
Some familiar names are on this list including Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders and, as always, there are some rather left-field suggestions. Bill Gates and Michele Obama are both available at around the 200/1 mark and we even have Kanye West and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg among the also rans.
Winning Party of US Presidential Election 2020
As we mentioned, there are only two tangible contenders at any US Presidential Election so this can be a much simpler option to call. If, however, we look back over the last 50 years, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats have dominated office so it isn’t always an obvious call.
For the 2020 vote, the Democrats are actually in the lead at an odds on figure with Unibet. Considering that Donald Trump is the favourite to be elected that seems a little strange so you may find value in backing the Republicans who are at Even Money with a number of outlets including William Hill and BetFred.
There is a third option for an Independent Candidate but prices will generally start at around 50/1 and to be honest, they should really be a lot longer.
Visit this page to find more US betting odds.
Other Political Betting Events
Like most markets, you can find political odds in a number of unusual areas. This type of betting attracts a number of ‘specials’ including the gender of the next British Prime Minister or the gender of the next US President.
Elsewhere, you can also speculate on whether certain parties will merge and for the UK General Election of 2019, a one-off special market set odds on whether or not it would snow at 10 Downing Street on election day itself.
Other special bets relate to specific people: We’ve already mentioned Donald Trump and his vast range of options but there are currently bets for Melania too. You can take a punt on Melania to run against Donald or even a bet on her to be found to be living in the White House with another man!
On a more sensible level, uk politics odds might speculate on whether Boris Johnson will lose his seat at the next election or you could bet on how long he might remain in office.
It’s an open set of markets which is only limited by the odds setters’ imaginations. Overall, there’s plenty to enjoy so please keep checking our sites for updates and hopefully we can make some political betting profits along the way.