Nevada Legislature to Consider Election Betting

Ever wanna try election betting? Well, Nevada is thinking about it, too. What are the odds of Hillary Clinton being elected as the next president? Folks in Nevada may just get a chance to place a wager on who will win federal elections under a plan that has resurfaced.

A legislative committee will decide Tuesday whether to recommend if Nevada should allow election betting on federal races, making available here bets that can already be placed overseas. State Senator Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill in the 2013 Legislature to permit wagering on federal elections. Senate Bill 418 passed the Senate 14-7 but died in the Assembly Judiciary Committee without a vote, according to legislative records.

Segerblom is hoping for the backing of the interim legislative committee on the impact of technology upon gaming, which is meeting Tuesday in Las Vegas. The odds on the outcome of the presidential election have already been posted by companies outside the United States.

Oddsmaker, based in England, has made Clinton an 11-8 favorite and Republican Governor Chris Christie is listed at 9-1 to become the next president. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval is a long shot at 100-1 to win the presidency in 2016, according to Oddsmaker.

Segerblom said 20 million pounds was wagered in England on the previous U.S. presidential election. One pound is roughly equal to $1.69. “It’s already going on,” Segerblom said. Nevada could make money as the only state to permit the betting on presidential and other federal races. It would not apply to local state races. Read more on the possibility of election betting in Nevada when you visit the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.