- What is political betting? An overview
- Pros and cons of politics betting
- Where to wager – The best sites for political betting
- How we rate political betting sites
- What political events can you bet on?
- How the odds work on politics betting sites
- Top five expert tips for betting on politics
- How to start political betting today – A step-by-step guide
- The final word on politics betting
- Political betting sites FAQ
What is political betting? An overview
Political betting is exactly what you think it is – it’s betting on the outcome of political events, such as national and local elections, as well as party leadership contests and beyond.
Essentially, it works much the same as traditional sports betting: the odds are released for multiple markets in the run-up to the political event. They will change based on news, insider information, and the money coming in for each outcome.
Like in sports betting, you still have favorites and underdogs, as well as more nuanced markets to balance out otherwise uneven contests. Naturally, political events with massive global interest, like the US Election, attract the most bettors.
However, if you look hard enough, you’ll find odds for UK by-elections, local elections in Canada, or just about anything you can think of.
Pros and cons of politics betting
Now that we’ve given you a brief overview, here’s a roundup of the pros and cons of political betting:
- An alternative to traditional sports wagering
- Gives an extra interest to otherwise mundane political events
- Odds and markets for elections and other major political contests
- Available on many global betting sites
- It isn’t as good for live betting as regular sports wagering
Where to wager – The best sites for political betting
While it used to be something of a niche interest, you’ll now find that in many countries, most online bookies offer odds on the big political events at the very least. In fact, it’s become more common for local elections and party leadership contests to have odds and markets available on mainstream sportsbooks.
You can discover the best betting sites for political wagering where you are by consulting the banners on this page. We use geo-location technology to bring you the brands that are regulated and licensed to operate in your region.
All of our reviews have been conducted by our experts based on real-life experience. As a result, you know you can trust our fair and honest reviews, which ultimately can help you to make a wise and informed decision about where to bet.
How we rate political betting sites
To show you how we work, here are some of the top criteria that we consider when reviewing an online sportsbook for political betting:
First and foremost, the site must be legally allowed to operate in your jurisdiction and should be safe to use. It might not be the most exciting part of the process, but it’s arguably the most important.
The next thing that we look at is the welcome offer, which could be anything from free bets to a no-deposit bonus. We never take anything at face value, and we always read the small print and test the promotion for ourselves to ensure that it delivers decent value for you.
Now we test the site to see how intuitive it is to browse and use for political bettors of all experience levels. Additionally, it also helps if the site has an aesthetically pleasing design and a strong brand identity.
Many of you reading this will do some or all of your politics betting on your mobile, which is why an app or a mobile-optimized website is essential. We always put a massive focus on the mobile wagering capability of a bookmaker, testing all mediums through which they are delivered.
Our focus today is on politics wagering, and therefore, checking the selection of politics betting markets is a vital part of the process. Ideally, we don’t want to see a couple of markets offered every four years during the US election – we like to see a vast array of global, national, and local elections and events covered.
After looking at the markets, we compare the politics odds to those offered on competitor sites to ensure that decent value is being offered to you. Moreover, we assess how they are set and how they move as the election or event itself draws closer.
How you fund and withdraw your winnings from political bets is an essential thing to consider. In addition to assessing the payment methods, we also must consider things like minimum and maximum deposit/withdrawal limits, processing times, and look for hidden fees.
In case anything goes wrong, we always want to make sure that you’ll be in good hands, which is why we extensively test all of the available customer service channels, including live chat, email, and social media. What we’re looking for are fast response times, helpful information, and attentive service overall.
What political events can you bet on?
Now that we’ve taken a look at the sites themselves, let’s take a look at the different types of political events that you can gamble on:
Outcomes of elections
Elections are naturally the most popular events to wager on when it comes to politics, with the US and UK Elections effectively being the Champions League and World Cup of this sphere. That being said, Canadian, Australian, and European elections also see a lot of activity on most major gambling sites.
Here’s an idea of some of the markets you can find odds on for election outcomes:
| Election betting market | Description |
| Election winner: | A straight wager on the candidate that you think will win outright (popular for personality-driven politics like the US) |
| Overall majority: | A wager on a political party to get an overall parliamentary majority (relevant in political systems like the UK and France |
| To win a state: | Bet on a state to vote Red or Blue (relevant in the US) |
| Over/under: | A party or candidate to get over or under a certain number of seats or votes |
| Second-term betting: | Ahead of an election or just after, you can bet on the president to get a second term |
Leadership contests
Before betting on an election, you can bet on who will be the Democratic and/or Republican candidate for the next US election. This is arguably a more interesting market in UK politics, however, as Labour and Conservative each have different and unique ways of electing new party leaders.
Referendums and alternative political votes
Away from elections, referendums, and other high-profile votes, such as legislative public votes in the US and Canada, invite a lot of political betting interest. Past events that have been hugely popular at the bookies include:
- The Brexit referendum
- The Scottish Independence referendum
- Climate bills
- Bills to legalize online sports wagering in US states
- Trump’s impeachment votes
- No-confidence votes
Political props bets
As with sports, politics betting provides a lot of opportunities for the bookies to create interesting, and sometimes fun, props markets.
Here are some examples of political props bets that we’ve seen in the past:
- President or Prime Minister exit dates
- Trump to get impeached (Yes/No)
- A country to join NATO by a certain year
- Will the President/Prime Minister finish their term (Yes/No)
How the odds work on politics betting sites
The odds for political betting markets work in much the same way as they do for sports. In basic terms, the bookie determines the actual probability of each outcome coming to pass and then sets the odds with that probability plus a small commission (known as a vig).
Example of how the opening political odds are set
Let’s use a very simple but hypothetical example to show you how the bookie might set the odds for the US selection.
If the bookmaker determined that the Democrats and the Republicans each had a 50% chance of winning the election, the true odds would be 2.0 (or +100 American).
However, most bookies would set the opening odds for a 50/50 pick’em market at 1.91 (-110 American), which gives each outcome a 52.4% implied probability.
Why is this? Let’s take a quick look:
- (52.4% + 52.4% = 104.8%) – 100% = 4.8%
That 4.8% that has been added to the two sides of the outcome is known as the “vig” and is essentially a commission that guarantees the sportsbook a profit regardless of the outcome.
How political odds can change
Of course, the opening odds will almost certainly not be the finishing odds for any political event. They will always change constantly during an election or leadership campaign.
Here are just some of the main things that can impact how bookies set and move their odds for a major political event:
- Political scandals – If a candidate is involved in a corruption scandal or found to be having an affair, this could lengthen their odds dramatically and shorten those of the opponent.
- Gaffes – Something as simple as dropping a paper and looking a bit silly could affect the odds, as could a major gaffe on the campaign trail (like Gordon Brown calling a member of the public an “old bigoted woman” not realizing his microphone was still on).
- Resignations – Should a high-profile person who is affiliated with a candidate or party resign or withdraw their support, the odds will be seriously impacted.
- Performances in political debates – Just like markets on a Premier League winner could lengthen or drop after a good or bad game, so can an election candidate’s performance after their performance in a political debate.
- Tragedy or major news stories – On a slightly more somber note, tragedies, such as the Trump assassination attempts or Biden’s notable cognitive decline, can see odds slashed in an instant.
- Indirect influences – Sometimes, political changes or new stories that don’t directly impact the candidates, party, or countries can influence the odds. For example, Trump winning the selection and “51st State” comments about Canada saw Mark Carney go from an underdog to odds-on favorite in the 2025 Canadian election overnight, and he ended up winning.
- Market psychology – This is quite a broad term that can be influenced by several factors that wind up changing the odds. Key things to consider are the changing of public opinion from left to right, or the media perception and coverage of a particular party or candidate.
- Money and betting activity – So far, we’ve focused on the political factors that can affect the odds, but often, it’s simply down to the bookies balancing the books to ensure profits. For example, if a betting site sees a lot of money come in on the Democrats, they would improve the odds on the Republicans to balance their intake for each outcome.
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Top five expert tips for betting on politics
Now that we’ve covered the ins and outs of political gambling in quite some detail, we’d like to give you five top expert tips to help you when you wager on political events:
This might sound like a silly one on the face of it, but remember that you are betting on politics, not placing politically motivated bets. In other words, you should think logically about what outcomes are likely to happen – don’t bet on the outcome that you would like to happen.
As we explained above, the going on in the world of politics can change the odds in an instant. If you can spot something on the horizon or react quickly to a sudden change, you might find extra value before the bookies and the rest of the crowd.
Odds boosts, deposit matches, and other sports betting bonuses can help enhance the value of your wagers. However, you must check the small print to ensure that politics bets are not exempt from bonus use. On the best politics betting sites, you should find offers that are politics-specific.
Don’t bet on a political election or event just for the sake of it, stick to those that you are following and understand. If you want to wager on multiple global political elections and contests, make sure to study them in advance so you have a deep understanding before betting on a particular outcome.
Last but not least, political betting should always be treated as a form of entertainment, and not as a source of financial income. To manage the risks involved, you should start by depositing a total bankroll that is a sum of money you can afford to lose. You should then only use increments of between 1% and 5% of your total budget for each political bet.
How to start political betting today – A step-by-step guide
We’ve just about reached the end of our politics betting guide, and it’s almost time for you to register on a betting site and get started. To help with that, here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Pick a site from our political sportsbook comparison here at BetExplorer
- Once you’ve chosen a bookie, click one of the promo banners or links to reach the homepage
- Click the “Sign Up” button to open the registration form
- Enter your email address and create a secure password
- Enter your personal info, including D.O.B., full name, and address, etc.
- Enter a promo code (if required)
- Read and accept the T&Cs and Privacy Policy
- Submit the sign-up form to create your betting account
- Make your first deposit
- Place your first online politics bet
The final word on politics betting
That sums up just about everything that you need to know regarding politics betting and the sites where you can participate. All that you need to do now is register on a sportsbook that offers odds on political events, and you can get started today. As a reminder, you can find a list of the top-rated politics bookmakers only where you are via the banners on this very page.
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Political betting sites FAQ
🗳️ Can you bet on politics?
Yes, many sportsbooks offer odds and markets for betting on political elections and contests. However, this might not be available on all sites, so be sure to check the regulations where you are.
🏆 What is the best politics betting site?
The answer to this depends on where in the world you’re betting from. You can discover the top political online sportsbooks where you are via the banners in our guide here at BetExplorer.com.
🇺🇸 Where can I find odds on the next US Election?
You’ll actually find that most betting sites offer some odds and markets on the US election. Therefore, if betting is legal in your country, you should have a few options.
