A recent study from Wild Casino reveals the Pennsylvania sports betting market ranks fourth in interest to bet on the U.S. presidential election. The Keystone State ranks with the most Google and X searches about betting on this year’s election.
Pennsylvania falls behind West Virginia, Ohio, and New Jersey
Pennsylvania trails only West Virginia, Ohio, and New Jersey. However, betting on political events remains illegal. Political wagering has never been permitted in the U.S.
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) Communications Director Doug Harbach said Pennsylvania law states that betting must be on an athletic contest or a factor that impacts the outcome of that contest.
The presidential election is less than four months away. Harbach offered a reminder that anyone running an under-the-table betting operation for the election could face charges if caught.
“That would fall under law enforcement with either State Police or the Attorney General’s office. If someone attempted to do that, then they could face criminal charges. [That’s] illegal betting,” Harbach told WHP 21 News.
According to Wild Casino’s study, gamblers seeking to bet on political outcomes will typically use an offshore or European gambling site. Online wagering is the most convenient method.
Political betting sites for the U.S. presidential election include bet365, BET99, BetOnline, and BetUS
Arguably the best political betting sites include bet365, BET99, BetOnline, BetUS, Bovada, MyBookie, and TonyBet. Other options include 888sport, BetVictor, Sports Interaction, and Pinnacle.
Harbach said an individual cannot be charged with anything by using an offshore gambling site. Though, he hinted that bettors are more likely to get scammed using unregulated websites.
“There is nothing in these offshore sites that protects the customer, the bettor. Coming in, you may get some attractive odds, but at the same time, there’s nobody watching where your money is going and whether or not it’s going to come back to you correctly,” Harbach added.
BetOnline shows Republican nominee Donald Trump as a (-160) favorite. Meanwhile, Democrat candidate Kamala Harris has (+140) odds of winning. Pennsylvania is a key swing state with 19 electoral votes.
Contrary to popular belief, odds are important. Per OddsTrader, of the last 35 U.S. presidential elections where there was a clear betting favorite by the odds, that favorite has won 27 times. That’s 77.1% of the elections.
In other words, the favorite has a strong winning percentage. In the last 30 elections with a clear favorite, the favorite is 26-4 (.867) with a 9-1 record (.900) since Ronald Reagan’s reelection in 1984.
According to OddsTrader, favorites with odds of -175 or better are 26-2 (.929) in U.S. presidential elections. Favorites with odds of -150 or longer are 1-6 (.143) in elections.
