The
family resemblance between off-shore betting and opinion polling might make
George Clooney or
even Paul Krugman 2016's POTUS. $6M is expected to be wagered in Ireland.
According to an average of about 30 of the UK’s biggest sports books, Hillary Clinton is currently the leader at 1 to 1 odds, or even money; Jeb Bush is second with 4 to 1 odds; and Rubio is third with 7 to 1 odds. (The list even includes names like Clint Eastwood, currently at 1,000 to 1, and George Clooney, 500 to 1.)
Like politics, bookmakers say a lot can change, and despite Clinton’s strong lead now it doesn't mean she's the clear winner.
“History will tell you that favorite very rarely wins,” Scott said. Even Bill Clinton, he notes, was at 25 to 1 odds at this same time during his presidential campaign.
For instance, Jimmy Vaccaro noticed Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is drawing a lot of attention too.
“This kid has really caught fire the last month at a half,” Vaccaro said. “He was as high as 11 to 1 in some of the sports books over there. In most of them he’s down to 7 to 1.”
On the flip-side, New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie –who right now has 25 to 1 odds, down from 10 to 1 – is losing money.