What Are Political Bets?
They're simply bets that are to do with political events. You'll find that they work in the same way as normal sports bets. Therefore, if you bet on X happening and X actually takes place, you'll win. Likewise, if you place a wager on Y but Z is the winner, you won't win anything.
When you visit a typical online sportsbook, you'll see the list of betting markets in a column on the left side. You should find the political bets under 'Politics' or 'Current Events' - or something similar. Not every sports betting site has bets on politics; a lot of them focus on sports alone.
There are also some online casinos that have a sportsbook section. Many of these have bets on politics too. An example of this is LeoVegas Casino, which is mainly a casino site. Sign up and you can access its sports betting section.
What Types of Political Bets Are Available?
Most political bets are to do with the result of a public vote. Below is a list of some main bets for the US Presidential Election 2024. As you'll see, they're all to do with vote results.
- The overall winner, i.e. the next President
- The Republican nominee
- The Democrat nominee
- The winning party
To give you some more examples of the bets you can place on politics, here are some UK betting options:
- The next Conservative leader
- The next Labour leader
- When the next General Election will take place
- The result of the next Scottish Independence Referendum
As you can see, not all political bets depend on public vote results. In the UK, the Prime Minister decides when a general election happens. This is an example of a political bet that has nothing to do with an open vote of any kind.
Also, for the bigger events, there are often layers of betting opportunities. For the US Presidential Election, it's not just the outright winner - the next President - you can bet on. There's the winning party and each main party's nominee. For a major political event like this, you don't just have to bet on the main result; there are other options available too.
Finally, there may be bets that aren't about votes. For example, you could find a bet on when a leader leaves power.
What Are the Most Popular Political Betting Markets?
At a normal online sportsbook, the number of politics betting markets is on the smaller side. We've already mentioned that some sites don't have any political bets available; of the ones that do, usually it's a handful or one or two dozen, if that.
Having said that, political bets are still popular at the best international online casinos with sportsbook platforms. The biggest betting markets for politics, as you can probably guess, are for the world's major political events; the US Presidential Election is perhaps the biggest one.
The betting options you'll find for political events are at the national level, more often than not. In other words, the betting options concentrate on country leaders and ruling parties. They don't concern things like the results of local council votes. If you want to involve yourself in political betting, you have to think big. You'll be placing wagers on a country's top-level politicians and ruling parties.
How to Place a Bet on Politics
To bet on a political event, follow the steps below:
- Choose a sportsbook with political bets;
- Create an account;
- Add some money to your balance;
- Find the politics bets;
- Pick one and enter your bet size;
- Click to confirm.
You've now placed a bet on something political! When your bet pays out depends on the event you've wagered on. As soon as the outcome is certain, the sportsbook will update your bet. If you've been lucky and won, you'll receive a payout. The size and odds of your bet decide how much money you win. However, if the bet wasn't a success, you won't earn a payout.
Get in touch with customer support if you need to. There should be a live chat feature you can use. Failing that, there should be an email address.
How to Get the Best Odds and Markets
If you're going to bet on politics, you'll want to place bets that have the best odds. Also, you'll be keen to see what the best markets to focus on are. Here are some pieces of advice for choosing the best markets and getting the best odds.
- Use an odds comparison tool - This is a site that lets you compare odds from different sportsbooks. It's a useful resource because it lets you see which sites have the most favourable odds. Just bear in mind that if a site has the best odds for bet A, the same might not be true for bet B. Therefore, if you're placing lots of bets, you may have to join multiple sportsbooks so you can get the best deals for each bet.
- Place bets as early as possible - If you place a bet a few months in advance, you could lock in a decent payout. However, placing the same bet a day or two before it closes could give you a lower return. If there's an upcoming event that's a while away - an election or a referendum - bet on it sooner rather than later.
- Stick to leading sportsbooks - We've already mentioned that politics isn't the biggest or most popular sports betting market. If you want lots of options, including the best markets, you should focus on the leading betting sites. These are the well-known, mainstream ones that have been around for a while.
Why Should You Bet on Politics?
Why not? You might as well go for it. Even if you don't like politics, you could still make a profit from betting on it - if you're lucky, that is. Remember, gambling over the internet is not without its risks; you could win of course, but there's a greater chance you'll end up with a loss. You should only gamble if you have money that you won't be using to make important payments. In other words, don't spend gambling money on things like household bills, mortgage payments and rent.
Betting on the world of politics can be - believe it or not - fun and perhaps even exciting. It can turn politics into something more engaging and interesting than what it is now. If you've had enough of the news and whatever's going on in the world, you could just turn a blind eye to it all. Alternatively, you could gamble on current events - it might make you better at tolerating the doom and gloom of modern life. Plus when you bet on sports, you may come across some grisly injuries. This doesn't happen with politics.
Whatever you do, don't treat betting as a way of making money. When you gamble, you're more likely to lose than win. Yes, you can make a profit, but in the long run, your losses will exceed your wins. Keep betting as a hobby and place bets once in a while. If you win, great. If not, it isn't the end of the world.
Tips and Strategies for Betting on Politics
If you're going to place some bets on politics, you should incorporate our top 10 sports betting tips before wagering real money. These won't make you win, but they can boost your chances of winning. Plus, they should help you think about how you approach gambling.
- Know what the Bet Involves - Don't bet on something you haven't got a clue about; if you don't know anything about an event, how are you meant to predict the outcome? Before placing a bet, do your research if necessary. Make sure you understand the bet and know what it's about. It's always best to place sensible bets rather than betting at random.
- Stick to Your Limits - Whenever you practise internet gambling, it's worth limiting not just the money spend, but also the time. If you need money for important things, don't use it for gambling activities. If you find yourself wasting time at betting sites, wean yourself off them; try to do other things to occupy your free time. If absolutely necessary, use resources that sites offer, such as limits on how much you can deposit, how often you can make deposits and how much time you can spend at the site.
- Look at Recent Statistics - Study facts and figures from past events. If it's an election outcome you're wagering on, check what the past results for this are. Doing this might help you predict what result of the next election will be. Bear in mind that even though statistics can sometimes be effective at guessing outcomes, they can never guarantee you a win.
- Know as Much as You Can - You should also know what's going on in the political world. If you want betting to become a hobby, take some time every so often to read up on political news. Having lots of knowledge gives you a great advantage. This is because you'll have a better idea of what might happen. You don't want to make a shot in the dark, so back your decisions up with some relevant knowledge.
- Take Advantage of Sportsbook Bonuses - Every betting site has bonus offers both for new members and current ones. These give rewards such as free bets, bonus money, better odds and cashback. Even though they come with terms and conditions that can limit your gains, bonuses can still be worthwhile. They can boost your winnings, provide you with more funds and even let you bet without paying. Plus, any wins are yours to keep.
Get Involved with Political Events by Betting on Them
Whatever you feel about politics - whether you hate it, love it or you're indifferent to it - you should try placing some political bets. There's no guarantee you'll win. But, there are two things that are certain: one, you'll develop more of an interest in politics; two, you'll be able to put up with political goings-on a lot better.
