VICTORIA -- The B.C. Lottery Corporation says an estimated 10,000 British Columbians are expected to bet on next week’s U.S. presidential election, marking the largest-ever betting event in the BCLC website’s history.
While the BCLC’s odds favour Democratic nominee Joe Biden defeating President Donald Trump on Nov. 3, the lottery corporation says most B.C. bettors on PlayNow.com have put their money on Trump to win a second term.
As of Tuesday, Biden had garnered 27 per cent of the bets placed, while Trump had 44 per cent. The remaining 29 per cent has gone to non-candidates, including Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Vice-President Mike Pence.
The current odds for a Biden victory are 10/19, which would yield an approximately 152 per cent payout on PlayNow.com. For Trump, the odds are 33/20, yielding a 255 per cent payout.
A $100 bet on Harris could yield a $30,100 payday, while a similar bet on Pence could yield a $50,100 payout, which is $100 over the maximum allowable payout for non-sports bets on the website.
Meanwhile, betting just $1 on rapper Kanye West winning the presidency could pay as much as $1,001, according to the site.
The 2016 U.S. presidential election remains the most popular betting event in PlayNow.com’s history, with approximately 7,200 bets placed, according to the BCLC. That’s more bets than any Super Bowl, Stanley Cup or NBA championship in the website’s history.
British Columbia was the first jurisdiction in Canada to offer betting on U.S. elections, starting in 2014.
