Wanna bet?

Apparantly, there are sites on the web that allow people to place bets on the Presidential elections. I ran across this bit from a site this morning. It was written by Carrie Stroup for the Gambling911.com web site.

Odds on Obama shortened from 10/1 to 3/1 this week

Carrie Stroup here! Wanna bet on Barack Obama to win the 2008 Presidential election? Unfortunately, you'll no longer be getting those 10 to 1 odds that would have paid $10 on every $1 bet if he were to win.

With almost two years until the next election, Barack Obama is now listed with 3 to 1 odds of becoming the next US President in 2008 and those odds are likely to be shortened further as well. That bet would pay out $3 on every $1 wagered at Sportsbook.com (see website here) Like I tell everyone, LOCK THESE ODDS IN NOW BEFORE THEY CHANGE AGAIN.

Of course there are no guarantees that Barack Obama will win the election.

Democrats and Republicans focus on 2008 Presidential candidates
Sportsbook.com has odds on all the potential party leaders

The next Presidential election is 22 months away but the race by Democrats and Republicans to carry their party standard on November 4, 2008 is already hot according to the folks at Sportsbook.com.

Will Barack Obama challenge Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination? Will John Edwards slip up the middle? On the Republican side, will John McCain be pushed aside by the more liberal Rudy Giuliani, or will Newt Gingrich make a winning Hail Mary pass? Sportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino, has odds on both the potential Democratic and Republican party nominees.

Ever since Hillary Clinton transformed herself from First Lady to the Junior Senator from New York, she has been tagged as the Democratic Party’s front runner. Sportsbook.com gives her 4-5 odds to win her party’s nomination. Across the United States polls show more Republicans think she will win that prize than Democrats. Still, other polls in key early primary states say she is the front runner among voters who get to elect delegates to the nominating convention.

Barrack Obama’s possible entry into the race is causing concern to other candidates. Almost 20 per cent of Americans think he will be nominated. Odds he will win his Party’s prize are 3-1. All the Obama excitement is taking some steam out of John Edwards’ campaign. The former vice presidential candidate on the 2004 Kerry Democratic ticket is mounting an aggressive campaign but odds makers give him a 7-2 chance he will be on the ballot in 2008. Those are the same odds for Al Gore who has kept his presidential ambitions alive through humor and his critically acclaimed and much viewed film, An Inconvenient Truth.

John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are tied with 6-5 odds to win the Republican Party nomination. Pollsters and analysts send mixed messages about both. Giuliani is favored by 34 per cent of his own party members, compared to McCain who pulls in 26 per cent of the support of Republicans. But McCain is way ahead of Giuliani when it comes to being perceived as the strongest candidate – both Republicans and Democrats agree on that. McCain is currently viewed as the front runner and Giuliani is hampered by the perception that he won’t stick it out.

Newt Gingrich has high name recognition, and the highest negatives. Odds are 4-1 he will capture the Republican presidential nomination. Mitt Romney’s odds are 6-1 and Sam Brownback’s are 8-1.

Odds on candidates winning their party’s 2008 Presidential Nomination:

Get all odds on the 2008 Presidential Election here

Democratic Candidates
Hillary Clinton 4-5
Barack Obama 3-1
John Edwards 7-2
Al Gore 7-2
Tom Vilsack 6-1
John Kerry 8-1
Joe Biden 11-1
Wesley Clark 15-1
Bill Richardson 16-1

Republican Candidates
Rudy Giuliani 6-5
John McCain 6-5
Newt Gingrich 4-1
Mitt Romney 6-1
Sam Brownback 8-1
George Pataki 11-1
Condoleeza Rice 13-1
Mike Hucklebee 15-1
Colin Powell 35-1
Jeb Bush 50-1

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Carrie Stroup, www.gambling911.com

Originally published January 8, 2007 7:04 pm ET

Interesting.