You might be sick and tired of seeing politicians on your TV screen every time you switch the news on, but there could be a way of turning that into a profit.
Depending on what sports you bet on, betting on politics could be far more entertaining. Imagine if you had been betting when the UK had three Primer Ministers in the space of a few weeks. The way things are going, we might have something similar in the upcoming months and years.
This guide will take you away from the world of sports betting and explain how you can get some enjoyment out of the politicians.
OK, let’s get this right. You or myself do not want to go down a rabbit hole and start explaining what politics actually is. That would not be fun at all, so I will dive right in and explain what it means in terms of betting and what you can bet on.
In a way, politics betting is very similar to sports betting. You have to do your research and understand what is popular and who is making the headlines. Instead of checking team news and injury updates on club websites, all you need to do is switch the news on. You will find out all you need to know about the world of politics by watching every bulletin.
Whether we like it or not, politics is just a popularity contest. They are doing their utmost to get you to like them. It differs from sporting betting as you do not have the luck element of a last-minute goal ruining your bet. You just have to hope the person or party you are betting on are liked enough for that bet to be successful.
Betting on politics is a big business when it is close to a general election in the UK or the Presidency race in the United States. When you break it down, there are a lot of markets and due to the bizarre world of politicians and the decisions they keep making, that list will keep growing.
By searching the popular betting websites, you will find a wide range of betting markets for politics. Below I have listed a few of the popular ones that you will stumble across.
Betting Market | Bets You Can Place |
UK General Election | Government after next election |
UK Politics | Next permanent party leader Next Prime Minister Most seats Party majority Party minority Seal losses Hung Parliment |
Next US Presidential Election | Party candidate Party winner Winner of States Popular vote winner |
Irish General Election | Most Seats Taoiseach after next election |
Irish Politics | Next permanent party leader Next President |
Australian Federal Election | Winner |
Australian State Elections | To win State |
London Mayoral Election 2024 | Winner |
I have covered the different markets and elections that you can bet on in the above table. I am now going to divert your attention to the different types of political bets that are available.
Type Of Bet | Description |
Moneyline | Betting on the outcome. Eg, SIr Keir Starmer to become the next Primer Minister. |
Futures | Betting on something in the future. |
Props | Strange and unique bets. Eg, How many times Rishi Sunak nervously coughs during a TV interview. |
Over/Under | Similar to soccer with cards and goals, but this could relate to the number of seats each party wins or loses. |
Official news channels are the best places to get your information on politics and what is happening in the world. Do not place your bets based on the information you have read on social media. Believe it or not, not everything you read on X or Facebook is true.
There is a lot of fake news on social media and even hoax accounts. You might read an X from who you think is a politician and totally change the way you have been thinking, only for that account not to be real.
For example, there could be a Rishi Sunak parody account and they post something that puts his position in jeopardy. Do not use that information to bet on his current future, wait until you hear from a reliable source. Social media is just a small percentage of the voting population, so be careful. Just because it is trending on X, it doesn’t mean that is the overall opinion.
If you are used to betting on sports rather than politics, you can still use similar strategies to help you along.
Although I have mentioned avoiding falling for fake news on social media, I do recommend keeping up to date with all the official news that happens. Just because some of the news sounds made up, it doesn’t mean that it is. Keep watching news channels to see if any gaffes or serious mistakes have been made and use that information when it comes to placing your bets.
This tip is very similar to sports betting. Instead of searching for team news and injury updates, keep an eye on the public’s opinion when it comes to certain parties or leaders. Check the polls and see if any candidate has dropped or if they are out of favour with the public. Being up to date with that kind of information can be beneficial when it comes to your betting journey. Debates live on television or shows like the Andrew Marr Show allows you to see politicians in their natural habitat and you can gauge a more truthful opinion of them.
Just because the candidate you are considering backing is popular at the moment, it is important to check out the back history of that candidate to see if they did something that could still irk the public. If Rishi Sunak or Sir Keir Starmer did something in the past that offended a lot of people, that could hurt their reputation forever. It is an ongoing joke that Ed Miliband failed to become Prime Minister for Labour because he was photographed not being able to eat a bacon sandwich properly. That is an extreme case, but knowing how the public reacts to a certain politician is key.
Betting on politics is very similar to sports betting. To be honest, it can be more entertaining as well.
It is not just the case of backing someone to become the next Primer Minister, there are a number of different markets on offer to make it entertaining. Of course, there are not as many markets as you would get in soccer, but enough to keep the interest going.
From personal experience, I would say prop bets are the way to go with politics. There is always something going on and the chances are you will get odds on a politician saying a certain word live on air, or the amount of ‘errs’ they say or times they cough.
In all fairness, watching politicians make mistakes is a great spectator sport in the UK and US. There is a future for political betting in my opinion.
Yes you can. If there is a situation that ends up with a winner or loser then you can bet on it and politics is no different.
There are a wide range of different markets when it comes to political betting. You can bet on the UK General Election, who will be the next Prime Minister, the US Presidency race or even a prop bet on how many times Donald Trump’s hair moves when being interviewed.
Basically, yes. It is very similar to sports betting where you are backing an individual or party (team) to come out on top. In election races, you will have a list of candidates and if you back the winner you will receive a payout just like in soccer or any other sport.