Political Betting Sites 2025

“There is no way Donald Trump is winning the election.”

How many times did you say or hear someone say that in 2016? Undoubtedly, very few people believed that Donald Trump had a chance of winning the presidential election against Hillary Clinton. Nevertheless, some people believed that this upstart could pull off a victory, and if they were gambling types, they could have placed some smart bets on that outcome.

Are you aware that a huge amount of money is being bet on politics around the world? Over the past two decades in the online gambling business, we've seen this small niche explode into a full-fledged section of some major betting sites. In fact, political betting has become so big that some online sportsbooks now offer lines on who will win major political races, as well as a variety of other political prop bets. The following is a breakdown of the many ways you can bet on politics, along with a look at some of the best betting sites.

Where Is the Best Place to Make a Political Bet?

In the realm of online political betting, there are a few key factors to consider. For starters, you may want to check out different sites to find the most favorable odds for the bets you want to place. Above, we've compiled a list of our recommended political betting sites. There's nothing like a good bet to add to the excitement, right?

One aspect to consider is where the site is based when it comes to offering odds. A platform based in the UK is much more likely to have its finger on the pulse of British politics and, as a result, is likely to offer many more options when it comes to betting on election outcomes in that neck of the woods.

Another potential approach for political bettors is to examine the types of elections a site offers odds on. Using the analogy of traditional sports betting, some platforms allow you to place bets not only on the major sports leagues, but also on lower league or division sports - as opposed to the major leagues. When it comes to political betting, the equivalent situation might be to find a platform that accepts bets not only on the high-profile events like a prime ministerial election, but also on the outcomes of more local or provincial elections. These minor league events could provide opportunities to uncover better odds for bettors.

Why Are People Betting on Politics?

The simple answer is that people will bet on anything if given the chance and the right odds. It is hard to say when betting on elections started, but it probably goes back a few hundred years, along with most sports betting. Betting on the outcome of a political campaign is really no different than betting on a boxing match. If you break it down, there are two opponents (sometimes more than two, depending on the election) trying to win a title. There are favorites and underdogs, and with that come odds on which candidate will win.

Nowadays, with all the nonsense going on, especially in the United States, more and more people are engaging in a kind of mental rehab by betting on the future outcomes of our political campaigns. As you will see below, many online gambling sites are cashing in on this national pastime. They now offer a virtually unlimited selection of bets on political events not only in the United States, but around the world.

What Types of Bets Can Be Made on Politics?

This is where we have seen the most changes in the political betting scene over the past few years. Online betting platforms are devoting more time and energy to the politics of the world, and the byproduct of that is a significant increase in the actual amount of betting options available to all of us. Let's examine some of the most popular forms.

1. Straight Bets

You can bet on which candidate or party you think will win an election. In some cases, you can even bet on a party to win the next election, even if they haven't chosen a leader yet. For most of these straight bets, however, you will find odds on each of the candidates in the election and make your selection based on who you think will win. If that candidate wins, you get paid.

These bets are similar to sports money line bets. You pick a winner and, based on the adjusted odds, receive a payout equal to the line set by the bookmaker. However, since some sites are more casual with their handicapping and seem to throw darts at the odds they set, the variance from site to site can be quite large. Finding a political betting site that gives you the best odds will make these bets a profitable venture.

2. Spread Bets

This type of political betting isn't about picking candidates or parties. It's not even about picking who will win and who will lose. Instead, it's about estimating the size of the gap between the winner and the loser. And when it comes to betting on that outcome, the gap that most people seem to think is most likely to occur in the upcoming midterm elections is about 3.5 percentage points.

To transpose this to election wagering, consider the 2016 US presidential election. You could have placed the following bets.

• Lost to Trump by 2,000,000 votes in the popular vote
• Trump has a +1,900,000 margin in the popular vote
• By how many electoral votes will Clinton beat Trump?
• By how many electoral votes will Trump win?
• What will be the size of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives?

Obviously, this allows you to bet on a candidate without having to win the actual election, much like an underdog covering the spread in sports betting. With a straight bet, your chosen politician must win. This type of betting therefore allows you a little more freedom to pick someone you think could pull off an upset without betting on them to win outright.

3. Prop Bets

Over the past decade, the world of sports betting has seen an explosion in the popularity of proposition betting. Rather than betting on the outcome of an event, prop bets allow you to place a wager on virtually anything related to that event. This type of betting can be just as easily applied to the world of politics - especially with some of the leading political countries around the globe - as it is to the world of sports.

As mentioned above, prop bets do not depend on the outcome of an election. In fact, you don't even need an election to place a prop bet on a political figure. We'll stick with the United States as an example. Here are some prop bets you can find - or have found in the past - on American political life.

• What will be the president's official weight announced after his physical?
• What is the total number of days Donald Trump will serve as president?
• What will be the age of the Democratic presidential nominee in 2025?
• What is the frequency of certain words used by Trump in a State of the Union address?
• Will the president face impeachment?

Each category of prop bet has two possible outcomes. For example, take the pending prop bet on the President's weight. The two possibilities are: 1. Under 240.5 pounds; 2. Over 240.5 pounds. Both options, like most prop bets, have even money odds. But with the prestigious prop bet, what could be more prestigious than the presidency? Anything else would certainly not be even.

Can You Be a “Sharp” Political Bettor?

Absolutely! As we mentioned earlier, one of the easiest ways to get an edge in political betting is to shop around. You will most likely find that the odds on a given bet vary somewhat from bookmaker to bookmaker. Since there isn't the same volume of betting on elections as there is on sporting events, the line has to move to protect the various sites.

Another thing to look for is the limit on how much you can bet on a political outcome. If you're extremely confident about an outcome, you'll want to find a betting site that allows you to place a large bet. Generally, though, these sites set lower limits on political outcomes than they do on regular sporting events, and for good reason: they don't have a staff of political experts to help them set the odds. But if you can find a site that offers a high limit and a reasonable price, it's worth considering.

Being a sharp bettor from an information standpoint is a different concept. And when it comes down to it, there are thousands of journalists out there who would probably consider themselves "experts" in the political betting market. But then again, how many of those same experts would have picked a Trump victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election?

We would say that being on the inside is definitely an advantage - maybe you have a senator or someone who works in a mayor's office. That kind of inside knowledge can certainly be the deciding factor when it comes to spotting the obscure opportunities. In that way, it's a lot like horse racing; very often someone who works in a stable will have inside information about a particular horse.

Conclusion

The appetite for gambling on politics has undoubtedly grown over the years. These days you can find a seemingly endless number of sites offering odds on all sorts of elections around the globe. However, if you really want to make political gambling a profitable venture, then your research should extend well beyond the candidates and their campaigns and include an assessment of the betting sites themselves. The difference between the best odds around and the worst can translate into a significant amount of cash when you hit the pay window after your bet has been settled.