Weird Vegas Bets
Full list of Super Bowl 54 prop bets from Westgate SuperBook, William Hill Miranda Alam/Special to the Weekly The SuperBook at the Westgate in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. The Total Number of Donald Trump Tweets on FEB 2rd? Odds: Over 13.5 (+130) Under 13.5 (-170). Las Vegas NHL Odds, Betting Picks and Parlays Tampa Bay Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks. Puebla vs Tigres UANL Liga MX Soccer Week 10 Betting Odds, Stats & Free Predictions. NHL Hockey Odds, Injury Reports & Expert Predictions Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins. A prop bet – or proposition bet – is a wager that doesn’t necessarily correlate with the outcome of the game. Instead of betting on wins and losses, total score or point spread, you would bet on things like how many yards a player will rush for or how many touchdown passes a quarterback will throw. What makes prop betting during the Super.
There are so many reasons why most of us love to have a flutter. Obviously one of the main ones is that it’s a chance to win ourselves some money, normally seeing a decent-sized return for a relatively small stake. Never is that more so than when we bet on things that are unlikely to happen, which is why multi-fold accumulators appeal so much. The fact that unlikely events occurring will win us a lot of money combines well with the fact that the majority of bookmakers will offer you odds on almost anything, should you ask them. That’s why new features such as #RequestABet have been launched by companies like Sky Bet.
Personally I always remember the story from 2006 when Chris Kirkland made his England debut and his dad and some friends netted around £10,000 as a result. Perhaps it’s because I’m a Liverpool supporter and the goalkeeper played for my team for a while, but for whatever reason I remember it being in the news that Kirkland’s dad, Eddie Kirkland, had put on a bet in 1994 that his son would win an England cap before he turned thirty. He would only have been a teenager at the time, but such was the confidence his dad had in him at the time that he put a £100 bet on him achieving his goal at odds of 100/1. I was thinking about that recently and wondered, what other mad bets have there been over the years? What mad bets can you place now?
Weirdest Things You Can Bet On Right Now
In 1989 a man placed an accumulator of novelty bets. He believed that Cliff Richard would be knighted before the year 2000, that U2 would remain together and continue making music past the turn of the millennium and that both EastEnders and the Australian soap Neighbours would also keep making shows past that point. When the Millennium Bug made no real difference to anyone’s life and all of those bets came true, a full eleven years after he placed them, you can imagine the man’s delight in being able to cash in on his £30 bet placed at odds of 6,479/1. He walked away with £194,400, so you might well be reading this and fancy a few novelty bets of your own. Here are some of the top ones you’ll be able to find:
When Will Alien Life Be Proven?
Perhaps nearly as popular as bets on Elvis are wagers based around the idea of alien life being proven to exist. Given that date from the Kepler Space Observatory has been used to suggest that there may be as many as two billion planets in our galaxy alone that are capable of supporting life, you’d have to be particularly full of yourself to believe that we’re alone in the universe. In my opinion, therefore, it isn’t a question of ‘if’ we’ll discover alien life, but ‘when’.
It’s likely that I’m not alone in that assumption, which is why bookmakers tend to offer odds on the discovery of life from elsewhere. The size of the odds that you can get for that discovery depend on how specific you want to be in when you think it will happen. At the time of writing you can get odds of 18/1 for it being in 2018, 22/1 if it happens in 2019 and 1/7 for it being at any point beyond 2020.
When Will The World End?
Perhaps the ever increasing tension between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un is making people a bit twitchy. After all, in November of 2017 North Korea ‘sentenced the US President to death’ for insulting the Supreme Leader. Maybe it’s the United States government’s attitude towards global warming that’s got people worried, or simply the general state of affair around the globe. Whatever the reason, bookmakers will give you odds on when the world’s going to end.
Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me “old,” when I would NEVER call him “short and fat?” Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2017
As I write this, Paddy Power are offering odds of 100/1 for the world to end in 2017 and 500/1 for it to end in 2018.
This might be the weirdest bet out there right now for one simple reason – how would you claim your winnings? The company doesn’t specify what ‘the world ending’ actually entails, but even it did happen how are you going to be a ‘winner’? What would you be paid out in? Tinned goods? I’ve been unable to find out how much money the Irish bookies have taken on that particular bet, but you’ve got to applaud them for making at least some money on a bet they’ll simply never have to pay out on.
The Next Pope
The final thing I’ll mention is the ability to place a bet on who will be the next Pope. On the surface that doesn’t seem like too much of a novelty bet, especially when you consider that the favourites at the time of writing are the likes of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines and Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet. Yet it is the other names that Paddy Power have decided to put on their list that might cause a few raised eyebrows.
The new Pope is chosen by the College of Cardinals after the current Pope has died, retired or abdicated. They meet at the Vatican and take part in the Papal Conclave, a secret meeting that could theoretically last for weeks or even months. Given the secret nature of voting there’s no way for a bookie to find who is looking likely to win, yet Paddy Power will know for certain that it won’t be famed atheist Richard Dawkins, who they have odds of 375/1 for. Nor is it going to be their 500/1 shot of the U2 singer Bono. Given that Father Dougal Maguire is a fictional priest and is no more real than Craggy Island, the location where Father Ted is set, 500/1 seems a little short for him to become the next leader of the Catholic church.
A History Of Weird Bets
Betting on a young footballer to succeed in his chosen career isn’t the weirdest thing that anyone’s ever done, obviously. Yet there are absolutely some crazy bets that have been placed since bookmakers started being willing to look outside the box for weird and wonderful wagers. For anyone that knows much about betting, you won’t be overly surprised to learn that Paddy Power are one of the chief bookies that have been accepting these odd bets over the years! The Irish bookmaker, that has merged with Betfair in recent times, has long courted controversy with some of the bets that they’ve offered punters.
Some of their odds might have been seen as controversial by sections of the public and the media, but from the company’s point of view it was an easy way to gain themselves some free publicity. The only thing worse than being talked about, after all, is not being talked about. Here are some of the most controversial odds offered by Paddy Power in the past:
- The First Species To Be Wiped Out By The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)
- President Barack Obama To Be Assassinated (2008)
- Polar Bear To Go Extinct (2011)
- Dead Footballer Ugo Ehiogu To Be Named New Birmingham City Manager (2017)
One of the favourite topics of novelty bets for bookmakers and, presumably, the customers almost always involves the Royal Family. Before Prince George was born, for example, you could place bets on what his name would be. That isn’t all that novel, of course, but you could also have had a wager on things such as what his first word would be, what university he would go to and how old he’d be when first photographed in a nightclub.
If there’s a major topic in the news then you can as good as guarantee that some bookmakers will be offering odds on strange outcomes. When Julian Assange decided to apply for asylum in 2012 and ended up living in the Ecuador Embassy in London in order to avoid being extradited on charges of rape and sexual assault, for example, you could bet on the method of Assange’s departure from said embassy when he eventually left. Police car had the lowest odds, but you could get 20/1 on him leaving inside a diplomatic bag, 150/1 on his departure being in a hot air balloon and 500/1 on the Wikileaks founder leaving on a jet pack.
Leicester City to Win The Premier League
By Peter Woodentop (LCFC lift the Premier League Trophy) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
One of the biggest stories in recent years was when Leicester City won the Premier League at the end of the 2015-2016 season. The Foxes becoming title winners of the English top-flight was a crazy tale in and of itself, but what I think deserves far more coverage than it got was the arrogance of some bookmakers that that outcome would simply never happen. I mentioned arrogance because here are some of the bets that you could have placed before the start of that season that actually had shorter odds than the 5,000/1 of Leicester lifting the league trophy:- Arsenal To Sack Arsene Wenger, Make Piers Morgan Manager – 2,500/1
- David Cameron To Become Aston Villa Manager – 2,500/1
- Hugh Hefner To Admit To Being A Virgin – 1,000/1
- Simon Cowell To Become Next Prime Minister – 500/1
- The Queen To Have The Christmas Number One – 1,000/1
- Dean Gaffney To Win An Oscar – 1,000/1
- Elvis To Be Found Alive And Well – 2,000/1
Despite the fact that Leicester City did actually play in the Premier League and had shown good form at the end of the 2014-2015 season in order to avoid relegation, bookies thought it was ten times more likely that X-Factor judge Simon Cowell, who had shown no interest in politics, would become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom than the Foxes would win the league. They also thought that Elvis Presley still being alive was two and a half times more likely than Claudio Ranieri’s men becoming top-flight champions, despite the fact that he was officially declared dead in 1977. Elvis, though, is often the focus of some strange bets…
Is Elvis Presley Still Alive?
Elvis Impersonators – Paul Smith / Martin Fox [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
Known as the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1935. He had twelve number one albums in the United Kingdom and more than that in the country of his birth, along with eighteen number one singles on the Billboard top 100 and twenty-one number ones in the UK. He spawned countless impersonators and even now, forty years after his death, his influence can be seen across the music industry. A trip to Las Vegas will see you encounter his image more than any other musician in history, which might explain why he remains a popular target for weird and wonderful bets.The King was forty-two when he died, meaning that he’d be eighty-two if his death had indeed been fabricated. Quite where people think he’s been able to hide for the past forty years I’m not sure, but it’s fair to say that bookmakers must absolutely love it when someone contacts them to ask if they can place a bet on Elvis being found alive. That happened to Paddy Power when a punter staked £25 on that happening at odds of 2,000/1 and another £300 at 1,000/1, meaning he stood to win £350,000 if the King came forward before the end of 2017. Sufficed to say he was left disappointed and Paddy Power were £325 better off.
After a tumultuous half week in the wake of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the odds at the top Vegas election betting sites are on the move.
We’ve been keeping track of a few of these, particularly the lines in the swing states where the odds have been impacted less by RGB’s passing and more by the procedural rulings coming down from lesser judges in those regions regarding how to handle the November 3 general.
As we previously reported, in Pennsylvania and Michigan, the deadlines to count the Presidential election votes have been extended by three days and two weeks, respectively.
Not to be outdone, a Wisconsin judge has allowed for an extra six days for votes to be counted, and North Carolina election authorities have given their polling places eight extra days to count up their votes.
Las Vegas Super Bowl Weird Bets
In WI, as in MI, ballot harvesting – a felony under normal circumstances – will be allowed – and voters in all four states will be able to “fix” their ballots after the election if there are any “deficiencies.”
(Additionally, definitively postmarked and dated ballot envelopes appear to be an afterthought all of a sudden. Stamp or no stamp, the state gives these votes its stamp of approval.)
All of these rulings favor Joe Biden and the party of Mostly Peaceful Vote By Mail™, but bettors have been slow on the uptake.
While Biden has been moderately favored in each state for most of the election cycle, he ought to be off the charts by now, given the edge granted to his campaign by the courts.
Weird Las Vegas Bets
For bettors paying attention, that edge should be just as big.
Currently, here’s how the state electoral odds in each of these key battlegrounds stand, with their pre-ruling numbers in parentheses:
2020 Pennsylvania Electoral Odds
Bovada
- Joe Biden -190 (no change)
- Donald Trump +145 (no change)
BetOnline
- Joe Biden -160 (-165)
- Donald Trump +130 (+135)
MyBookie
- Joe Biden -190 (no change)
- Donald Trump +145 (no change)
The lack of movement here may be due to an already announced court challenge of PA’s rulings, though it’s surprising that so little has been made of this critical state’s lean towards Biden on the procedural end over the last week.
2020 Michigan Electoral Odds
Bovada
- Joe Biden -250 (no change)
- Donald Trump +185 (no change)
BetOnline
- Joe Biden -270 (-225)
- Donald Trump +210 (+185)
MyBookie
- Joe Biden -225 (-250)
- Donald Trump +160 (+185)
Bovada bettors are dropping the ball here, though for Biden supporters at the site, that’s a good thing. Get in now, because MI’s new rules benefit the left tremendously.
2020 Wisconsin Electoral Odds
Bovada
- Joe Biden N/A (no change)
- Donald Trump N/A (no change)
BetOnline
- Joe Biden -175 (-165)
- Donald Trump +145 (+135)
MyBookie
- Joe Biden -150 (no change)
- Donald Trump +115 (no change)
Even at BetOnline, this is a small change in the lines given the scope of what’s going on behind the scenes. If you’re a Biden voter, get in now, as these odds will surely move further in Biden’s favor, reducing your payout potential. Trump voters, wait a bit longer to place your bets. Also, we’re not sure why Bovada consistently refuses to post Wisconsin betting odds.
2020 North Carolina Electoral Odds
Bovada
- Donald Trump -135 (no change)
- Joe Biden +105 (no change)
BetOnline
- Donald Trump -130 (-150)
- Joe Biden +100 (+120)
MyBookie
- Donald Trump -130 (no change)
- Joe Biden +100 (no change)
Once again, the BetOnline odds seem to moving in the coherent direction given the news coming down from the state. While Trump is still favored at each site, that could change in the near future if the ruling isn’t challenged by the right (or, frankly, anyone who cares about election integrity).
Overall, bettors at BetOnline seem to be getting the idea, but the lack of movement in the odds at Bovada and MyBookie are interesting. That’s one reason why you should always join several books and shop lines for the best payouts.
Right now, gamblers picking Trump to win would be best served by placing their wagers with BetOnline, while Biden supporters will earn better payouts going with Bovada or MyBookie.
One place bettors do seem to universally understand the import of these swing state decisions (which are largely illegal but would have to be challenged, possibly to an evenly split Supreme Court) is on the main election odds boards.
After losing the lead to Trump a few weeks ago, Biden is back on top bigly – but not quite yugely – at all three major operators:
2020 Presidential Election Odds
Bovada
- Joe Biden -130
- Donald Trump +110
BetOnline
- Joe Biden -130
- Donald Trump +110
MyBookie
- Joe Biden -130
- Donald Trump +110
Naturally, the best online sportsbooks for Vegas election odds also feature Supreme Court betting lines, after bookmakers fell asleep at the wheel for the entire Weekend At Ruthie’s following Ginsburg’s death.
Here’s how those stack up at BetOnline, which is representative of the odds across the board:
2020 Supreme Court Nominee Odds
- Amy Coney Barrett -400
- Barbara Lagoa +150
- Joan Larsen +1800
- Allison Rushing +2000
- Amul Thapar +3300
- Britt Grant +3300
- Thomas Hardiman +5000
- Ted Cruz +7500
- Tom Cotton +10000
While Amy Coney Barrett has interviewed for a Supreme Court seat in the past and seems qualified enough for the position, the most tactically sound pick would seem to be Barbara Lagoa.
Lagoa is Hispanic, she’s a sitting federal judge in the swing state of Florida, and she’d be a hard target for any smear campaigns by the allegedly female- and minority-friendly left. Our money’s on Barb.
Also, you should throw out every male on the board above, as Trump has already made clear that his pick will be a woman. Which, you know, actually means “woman” to the right.
Along with the above, you can also wager on whether or not Trump’s Supreme Court pick will be confirmed by the Senate before or after the election.
Initially, the SCOTUS betting odds showed that bettors didn’t think a new Justice would be appointed either before the election or before inauguration day.
However, after doing their research to understand how the GOP Senate only needs a simple majority vote to confirm, bettors finally have their heads on straight. The following odds are via MyBookie:
Will Senate Confirm SCOTUS Nominee Before 11/3/20?
- Yes -300
- No +200
Will Senate Confirm SCOTUS Nominee After 11/3/20?
- No -300
- Yes +200
While we agree that the Senate is likely to give its consent on Trump’s selection before the election, the second set of odds above are intriguing.
There’s a very real possibility that the nomination won’t be confirmed within the 40 days until the election, but that doesn’t mean that the Senate couldn’t do so at any point between the end of the election and January 20.
Further, it would be weeks before any contested vote count makes its way to the US Supreme Court, so a nine-member bench could still be convened in time to decide the outcome, if necessary.
Of course, even if Trump loses – and even if the upper chamber loses its GOP majority (which the Senate betting lines show as a 50-50 proposition) – the nominee can still be confirmed. In fact, there’s an even higher likelihood of confirmation under those circumstances.
As a further wrinkle, if Trump wins convincingly before his nominee is confirmed, the President can pull that nomination and select a different judge that might be better suited but less politically expedient.
Layers upon layers with this onion, folks. The only real question is which party is going to end up crying.
Taking all of the above into account, we’re seeing some mighty questionable logic backing the political wagering lately. This means that there are a lot of first-timers wagering on this contentious election, which is why we’ve been taking steps to point out the diamonds in the very rough world of American politics.
After all, you need to win as much money as possible before Uncle Sam comes calling to take it all away.
All that said, not everything on the betting boards is quite so serious.
MyBookie, which has been absolutely killing it with the 2020 political props in recent weeks, has these fun Donald Trump lines posted if you need a break from the rigmarole. Consider them a political betting filibuster:
Will Donald Trump start a TV network if he loses the election?
- Yes -140
- No +100
Heck, this is why we thought The Donald was running in the first place, all the way back in 2016: Gin up interest and image, lose the election, and parlay that into a media empire.
Of course, after about autumn of 2015, we knew he’d win and that his television kingdom would have to wait. We’re now 50-50 on this one, but we’d drop a dime on the “yes.”
If Donald Trump starts a TV network, what will it be called?
- MAGANet +300
- TrumpTV +350
- Real News +400
- TNN +400
- Not Fake News Network +500
“MAGANet” is out. Despite Trump’s MAGA mantra and magnetism, it’s not 1996, it’s 2020. Why that’s the favorite, we have no idea. “TNN” seems like the best choice of the bunch, though “Not Fake News Network” is the funniest. “TrumpTV” has a nice ring to it, too.
But since this is a speculative thought exercise in punsies for funsies, we’re a little disappointed that the oddsmakers at MyBookie didn’t get a bit more amusing with this prop. Bigly News? YugeTube? The Donald? Orange Entertainment? The Drumpf Report?
“C’mon, Man!” – Joe Biden
Will Donald Trump purchase One America News Network (OANN) if he loses the election?
- No -220
- Yes +155
Odd Vegas Bets
We can’t imagine why he would. Everyone on OANN looks like a weird alien, which would be sure to feed those Alex Jones/David Icke Reptilian conspiracies if the channel had any mainstream chops at all.
Weird Vegas Shows
Trump would have to rebrand the whole deal, clean house, and fill the station with more visually appealing talent. He might as well start from scratch.