A British gambler has reportedly staked $5 million on President Trump winning Tuesday’s election — a wager believed to be the largest-ever political bet.
The former banker used private bookmakers registered on the Caribbean island of Curacao for the bet at odds of 37/20 — meaning he could get a $15 million payout, sources told the Sun.
The mystery gambler confidently went all-in after consulting with “Trump camp insiders,” according to the report.
“Word of this bet has done the rounds and we think it’s the biggest ever made on politics,” one betting industry source told the UK paper.
While illegal in the US, betting on politics is popular in the UK and many other countries — and the 2020 election is shaping up to be the biggest betting event of all time.
Trump beat the odds in 2016, and gamblers appear keen on a repeat performance this time.
“Donald Trump will likely wake up with a spring in his step as more and more people think he could stay for another term,” the gambling comparison site OddsChecker said Tuesday.
In the last four hours, 71% of money wagered on the 2020 US election was on Trump, the site said — which the site’s head of marketing, Sam Eaton, called a “remarkable” swing. Bettors abroad are wagering record amounts on US election
“The 2020 election is following a very similar betting pattern to the one we witnessed back in 2016. The closer we got to Election Day, the more money came for Donald Trump,” Eaton said.
“A lot of part-time gamblers will opt to wager on the election today, and naturally given the bigger returns on Trump, they will likely side with the current president.”
One bookmaker, Paddy Power, told the Sun that 93% of wagers had been on Trump over the previous 24 hours.
Jessica O’Reilly of Ladbrokes said that “even at the eleventh hour, punters are continuing to back Trump at the odds on offer.”