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Barack Obama Now The Favorite to Become The Next US President It may not be by much but Democratic hopeful Barack Obama is an ever so slight favorite over his opponent Hillary Clinton to become the next President of the United States among oddsmakers. This is the first time that the Junior Senator out of Illinois has been listed as the favorite to win.
His odds were at +100 compared to Hillary Clinton's +110. Essentially this means that if someone were to bet $1.00 on Barack Obama to win the election, they would receive $1.00 back in return. Clinton would yield $1.10, which is the typical underdog spread offered in American Football and Basketball.
Bookmaker.com posted these odds late Wednesday following the big Super Tuesday showdown. The online betting firm is the oldest established North American facing bookmaker operating offshore since 1985 as part of the BetCRIS organization. They are the largest in terms of bet volume, catering to both professionals and recreational bettors.
Mickey Richardson, CEO of Bookmaker.com:
"Barack Obama to become the next US President is our second most bet on future after the NBA Championship winner."
The days leading up to Super Tuesday, Obama was listed with odds of around 3/1 at most online establishments.
All three of the frontrunners were listed near even odds at press time February 7 though if this were a boxing match, Senator John McCain would be a fairly big underdog. McCain had odds of +125 for a $1.25 payout on every $1.00 bet.
Mitt Romney was listed with +3300 odds for a $33.00 payout on every $1.00 bet - and there is certainly some value here we suppose. Mike Huckabee, who pulled off a few Southern state Super Tuesday wins and remains in the race, would pay out $65.00 on a $1.00 bet if he were to win. Ron Paul, who has vowed to stay in the race and could ultimately run as an Independent should his supporters keep fueling his campaign, would pay an incredible $125.00 for every $1.00 bet. Those New York Giants Super Bowl win analogies are now being used for both the Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul campaigns.
Super Tuesday, improbably, was a draw, according to the London paper, The Telegraph. A national primary with 24 states voting, Democrats voting in 22 of them ended with 13 going to Mr Obama, eight going to Mrs Clinton and the former First Lady edging the popular vote by a single percentage point. In terms of delegates, Mrs Clinton claimed more than her rival.
"What was once inevitable is no longer inevitable," said David Axelrod, Mr Obama's chief strategist. "What was once a lop-sided race is no longer lop-sided. The momentum has shifted."
Significantly, exit polls showed Mr Obama gaining ground among white males - winning them by 49 to 44 percent while Mrs Clinton once again relied on older women and Hispanics. The former First Lady won white women by a 20-point margin.
Rumors swirled on Wednesday that Clinton has been forced to take money from her own personal bankroll to continue keeping up with Obama, who is said to have raised $32 million during the month of January alone and another $3 million during the 24 hours following Super Tuesday.
"We are going to try and contest every contest, and win as many delegates we can," Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said. "If you look at the next month, we have a lot of confidence that we will hold the pledged delegate lead."
Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton support initiatives to study the impact of regulated online gambling should either be elected the next US President.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published February 6, 2008 9:45 pm EST
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