How Vegas Election Odds Are Affected By The Coronavirus
In 2020, there was perhaps no hotter betting market than Vegas odds on the coronavirus and how the disease affected the US Presidential race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Now that the election is over, the vote-by-mail initiatives that many states unlawfully instituted as an alleged result of COVID-19 could be made permanent.
In 2021, the US House passed the "For The People Act" (HB 1), which would make vote-by-mail mandatory in all 50 states, removes all state voter ID laws, and gives blanket voting rights to all felons. GOP politicians have called HB 1 the "Corrupt Politicians Act."
Thus, the so-called pandemic could have a lasting impact on the American electoral system. In that case, smart election bettors will need to understand how Vegas election odds will be affected going forward.
🦠2024 Coronavirus Vegas Betting Odds
There are several offshore sportsbooks that regularly offer political betting odds on issues surrounding COVID-19. While many sports markets have coronavirus odds on when league cancellations, restarts, and reschedulings might happen, one of the most popular betting markets for the disease is sure to be the political betting market. Whether it's a Biden press conference line, a bill passage line, or anything else having to do with COVID, you can be sure that you'll be able to catch the fever!
2020 Recap: The Impact Of Coronavirus On Trump Election Odds
In early 2020, the Vegas election odds on Donald Trump winning a second term as President dropped to the lowest levels of his entire first term at most books. Before the COVID-19 hype really took root in America, Trump was trending at a healthy -120 or so head-to-head against Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Then, Biden started to be favored at Bovada and was very close to even with Trump at other outlets. MyBookie bettors backed Trump longer than gamblers at other sites, but eventually, Biden took the lead there, too.
In the end, due to most crucial swing states breaking their own laws and instituting mail-in voting and illegal ballot harvesting measures, Trump lost nearly every battleground and the general election itself. As a result, the 2020 Presidential election has become the most controversial American election in history.
- TBA
2020 Recap: How Coronavirus Affected The Vegas Election Odds
There are a multitude of ways that the Chinese coronavirus affected the 2020 Vegas election odds, and the same issues will almost certainly play a role in all US elections going forward.
Below, we've outlined the main things bettors needed to look for to make informed 2020 election bets. These remain posted, as they're the best examples of what to consider when wagering on politics in the age of the WuFlu and beyond:
- The Stock Market – In 2020, the stock market was Trump’s biggest asset, and then it became his biggest Achilles’ heel. When the market was performing at record highs, Trump reelection seemed all but certain. Then, with the coronavirus stock selloff and historic lows at the NYSE and NASDAQ, Trump’s main win quickly turned into a very public loss.
- Medicare For All – M4A is a major progressive Democrat talking point. However, coronavirus fears stoked voters in the middle to favor single-payer healthcare, which changed the landscape in the primaries and even in the November general.
- Universal Basic Income – UBI is one step beyond single-payer healthcare in terms of socialism, but it’s an idea Andrew Yang pushed to the forefront during his brief 2020 campaign. When millions of workers lost their jobs or were put on unpaid leave over coronavirus quarantine requirements nationwide, the Yang UBI became a selling point for the Democrats. Recent "coronavirus stimulus checks" are an example of what Universal Basic Income could become in the US.
- The Border Wall – Trump’s “Build The Wall” mantra picked up steam in the face of the coronavirus, as border closures and travel bans were recognized as legitimate and necessary ways to slow the spread of COVID-19. However, this didn't matter in the end, as Biden won the election while promising to tear down the wall and urging illegal aliens to "surge" the border.
- Voting By Mail – Calls for mail-in ballots increased in states that didn't have them, as the coronavirus threatened to impact both election turnout and election safety (per the mainstream narrative). This, more than any other aspect of the 2020 election cycle, is what cost Trump a second term in office. If nationwide voting by mail becomes a thing, that will change the dynamics of political campaigns forever, and bettors should take note for future elections.
- Online Voting – Taking mail-in voting to its logical conclusion, the coronavirus outbreak could galvanize states to begin rolling out comprehensive online voting programs for future elections. This would increase "participation" incredibly, and it would necessitate the biggest groundswell of change in campaign tactics since the advent of radio and television. Hopefully, any proposed online voting systems will use blockchain technology akin to that used by Bitcoin (which, incidentally, you can use to fund your Vegas election betting accounts at offshore sportsbooks).
- Trumping Trump – Without question, people tend to blame their leaders for crises, no matter the cause or broken rationale involved. Should The Donald run for reelection in 2024 – or should any of his endorsed candidates (i.e. MAGA candidates) take up the mantle – you can expect the blame for COVID to be levied once more on Trump and the GOP.
2024 Coronavirus Updates
If you’re looking for coronavirus updates to help you better understand the disease or inform your election betting strategies, you can do so via several resources. After all, an informed bettor is a good bettor, and there’s no better way to stay up on the latest coronavirus developments than by bookmarking the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker.
Whether or not you actually Trust the Science™ or believe the data, the important thing to remember is that most people seem to believe it, and they will vote accordingly. Therefore, you should bet accordingly.