Polls may show Donald Trump with a commanding lead in the pack of GOP presidential hopefuls, but the Irish betting site Paddy Power predicts Jeb Bush is more likely to win the Republican nomination,
The Hill reports, noting that gambling on U.S. elections is illegal in the United States but is permitted in Ireland and Great Britain.
Paddy Power gives the former Florida governor a 6-4 chance of snaring the nomination, while the odds for brash billionaire Trump are 9-2. Tea party darling Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s governor, has a 4-1 shot.
In betting vernacular, that equates to a $100 wager for Bush paying out $150 if he’s the nominee, versus a $450 return for Trump and $400 for Walker.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is a 7-1 shot, according to Paddy Power, while Ohio Gov. John Kasich is 12-1, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are both at 14-1 odds. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has just a 25-1 chance.
"To put that in perspective, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who isn’t running for president, is at 40-1," according to The Hill. "Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is in the race, is also at 40-1. Fellow White House hopefuls Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and former New York Gov. George Pataki are at 66-1."
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new CNN/ORC poll shows Trump far ahead of the field of 17 Republicans, with the support of 24 percent of registered Republicans, compared with Bush who is at 13 percent. Carson is next with 9 percent; followed by Rubio and Walker with 8 percent; Paul with 6 percent; and Cruz, Kasich and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina with 5 percent each. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee received 4 percent.
Many on the Twittersphere posted less than celebratory comments about Bush being the bookmaker’s favorite.
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton is the favorite, with a 1-5 chance of winning her party’s nomination. Socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders gets a 6-1 chance and Vice President Joe Biden, who is not a declared candidate, is a longer shot at 9-1. Progressive Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is 33-1 bet.
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wager on Clinton would net just $20, The Hill reports, while a Sanders bet would be $600.
"Clinton is also the favorite to win the White House with even odds, compared to Bush’s 10-3 odds," according to the website. "Trump is 10-1, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) is 12-1.
"Any Democrat gets 4-6 odds to win the White House, while a generic Republican gets lesser, 6-5 odds."
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