With so many sporting events to bet on, you might wonder why anyone would bother with online betting on politics. The truth of the matter is that, especially if you\'re big on keeping up with public events, this can be a great way to have some fun at an online bookmaker with something often thought of as very dull.
When it comes to politics, online betting sites will let you wager on a huge range of different events and possibilities. Most often, this covers things like leadership markets, new political party leaders and referendums. But you're certainly not limited to what's going on in the United Kingdom - you'll also find political betting odds for the USA, EU and around the world.
Of course, Brexit has been dominating political betting sites for a while, with British punters placing wagers on things like:
Whether or not it will even happen
The likelihood of the UK getting a deal with access to the single market
Theresa May's chances of weathering the entire process
Traditionally, odds on the next general election date and whether the next government will be Labour, Conservative or a coalition have dominated political betting in the UK but (as mentioned above) things are very different in 2024.
Some British punters, for example, made a ton of money betting on Donald Trump becoming US president back when he was a true underdog in the race.
In the UK and beyond, political betting odds are a very common thing to find at any online bookmaker or gambling site. Placing a bet is very simple, and doesn't require any specialist political knowledge. In fact, sometimes too much knowledge can be a hindrance as anyone who has taken a look at how wrong recent polls have been will know!
Find a reputable political betting website and sign up with a few details
Deposit somemoney which will probably come along with a hefty bonus if you're a new player
Check out the politics betting odds available on the site and decide which outcome you want to place a wager on.
Once you've made absolutely certain that your bet has been placed successfully, it's time to play the waiting game. Political betting markets can be strange, in that you may have to wait a very long time to find out whether you've won or not!
Political betting markets cover all sorts of British and international events, but a few of the most common look like this:
Number of seats in parliament
Next party leader
US presidency results
Brexit/EU specials (bound to be popular from 2024 through 2019)
Just about every top online gambling site in Britain, and throughout the world for that matter, offers some form of welcome bonus and seasonal promotions for their customers. That may take the form of a small no deposit bonus on signing up, a % match bonus that supplements your first real money deposit or something else entirely.
You'll need to check whether or not you can use this bonus for online betting on political events on the site you're playing with, as some sites have restrictions on where you can spend your bonus.
Editors Pick
100%
100% deposit bonus of up to £30
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
Players Favourite
£30
Bet £10 get £30 when you place your first bet
T&Cs Apply
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
Reading political betting odds will be a breeze for anyone used to accessing online bookies in Britain, because they're typically displayed in the fractional format (1/2, 15/1) that's most common in the United Kingdom.
In those examples, you'd need to wager £2 on 1/2 odds just to make a profit of £1 (so a total payout of £3 including the original £2 stake). While that same £2 bet successfully on 15/1 odds would yield a profit of £30, so a total payout of £32 including the original £2 stake.
For sites based outside of the UK, you might see American (+110, -200 etc.) or decimal (1.5, 2.3) odds but all of the best onlin gambling sites will let you convert between these two whatever format you're most comfortable with. Stick to a format you understand, or you might end up making some very unwise bets and losing money as a result!
Whatever your device of choice (Apple, Android, Windows Phone etc.), it's virtually a sure thing that you'll be able to try political betting in the UK using apps or responsive mobile versions of an online bookmaker.
Things can change quickly on a political betting website - such as a major player dropping out of the race or a major breakthrough in negotiations - so it's nice to know that, whether you're at the supermarket or at the pub with friends, there's nothing to stop you enjoying some action by betting on politics.
Online betting on political events is a tricky beast, because (especially in the past few years) things don't always go as everyone expects them to. Brexit and Trump's presidency are two great examples of this. Still, we have a few tips for politics online betting that we hope you'll find helpful:
You can also take a look at our widget of live predictions and tips, which all of the best online gambling sites offer, on political betting odds.
If you're looking for some way to get yourself more interested in current events and what's going on in government, political betting sites may just hold the answer. If nothing else, you might find a win-win situation betting on the political party you don't like; if they get in, you win money and if they don't, you'll still be happy!
In all seriousness, online betting on politics is more popular in 2024 than ever before and it's definitely one of the more fascinating gambling activities you'll find on the web.
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
18+ only, new customers only, gamble responsibly. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New online customers only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New UK & Ireland customers only. £10. First deposit matched up to £30. 1x wagering at odds of 1.75 to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card, Debit Card & PayPal deposits only. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customers only – Minimum deposit of £10 using deposit code 30F - A qualifying bet is a ‘real money’ stake of at least £10 placed on any sports market - Minimum odds of 1/2 (1.5) - Free bets credited upon qualifying bet settlement and expire after 7 days - Free bet stakes not included in returns - Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General deposit method & withdrawal restrictions apply & Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
18+ only, new customers only, gamble responsibly. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New online customers only, min £10 stake, win only, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3x £10, 30 day expiry, free bet/payment method/player/country restrictions apply. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply
New customer offer. Place 5 x £10 or more bets to receive £20 in free bets. Repeat up to 5 times to receive maximum £100 bonus. Min odds 1/2 (1.5). Exchange bets excluded. Full Terms apply.
T&Cs Apply to All Bonuses. 18+ only. Gamble Responsibly.
The average online gambler in Britain isn't exactly known for their extensive knowledge of MLB betting, so we do get questions on it from time to time!
As the name suggests, it involves betting on the outcome of elections, the identity of future political party leaders and even placing wagers on world conflicts.
Just as with sports, you get your underdogs and your front runners; how risky you want to play things is up to you! In the UK, odds tend to appear in the fractional format but you can usually choose how you want to view them for clarity.
All of the top online gambling sites offer bonuses of some descriptions, and you can generally use them however you please. This does differ from site to site though, so it's worth examining sites to see where you can use bonus cash.
As we've covered above, the range of events you can bet on (Brexit, Trump's impeachment to North Korea going nuclear) is massive. How much you decide to bet just depends on how appealing you find the politics betting odds in question.
You're already there! We have a list of all the best political betting websites that we've reviewed and see fit to recommend to our readers.