U.S. bookies had Trump favored to beat Biden, if only for a few minutes
A miscommunication in West Virginia briefly opened wagering on the presidential race on Tuesday night. It was quickly shut down.
This November will be the first presidential election since the explosion of sports betting following a Supreme Court ruling two years ago.
And now that we finally have the two presumptive nominees for president after Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign -- expect to see odds on Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden from every little nook of the internet. Just know these odds are not legal in the United States. Not in Nevada. Not in New Jersey. Not in Pennsylvania.
As Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Doug Harbach pointed out to the Inquirer, “the Pa. Gaming Act is very clear that wagering must be on ‘Sporting events or on the individual performance statistics of athletes in a sporting event or combination of sporting events.’”
In other words, not politics. Or esports, for that matter.
FanDuel thought it had become the first U.S. operator to gain approval to take action on political races on Tuesday night in West Virginia, but that was shut down after about 15 minutes, according to Legal Sports Report. FanDuel had received proper permission from the West Virginia lottery until higher-ranking state officials got involved.
>>READ MORE: Presidential betting gets axed quickly in West Virginia
FanDuel’s initial odds had Trump (-110) favored to beat Biden (+125). Political odds are routine throughout the world, though there seems to be no appetite here in the United States. Single-game sports betting outside of Nevada illegal until a Supreme Court ruling in May 2018.
“Gambling on elections has been illegal in West Virginia since 1868,” secretary of state Mac Warner said in a statement on Wednesday. “Gambling on the outcome of an election has no place in our American democracy. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever. This is a terrible idea. Let’s shut this down right now and be very clear about it.”