Presidential Debate Betting Odds
Presidential debates are a hot ticket item in every Presidential election, but in recent years, thanks to Donald Trump, such debates have become even more compelling. And even though The Donald may or may not take the stage in such a capacity in the future, Presidential debate betting odds are sure to crop up before every future event. These debates often help the public learn more about various candidates, but even more importantly, they also provide online political bettors with plenty of profitable fun.
Of course, if you want to wager on Presidential debates or primary debates, you can only do so at legal online sportsbooks operating outside of US jurisdiction. Vegas debate odds are advertised for marketing purposes, but Vegas sportsbooks cannot legally accept election bets. Fortunately, legal offshore sportsbooks can, and there's no debate about that!
Best Sportsbooks For Betting On Presidential Debates
| Site | Bonus | Rating/5 | USA | Visit | |
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| 1 |  | 50% Max $1,000 | 4.5 | Visit Review | |
| 2 |  | 50% Max $1,000 | 4.4 | VisitReview | |
| 3 |  | 50% Max $250 | 4.4 | Visit Review | |
| 3 |  | 50% Max $500 | 4.1 | Visit Review |
Where Can I Bet On Presidential Debates?
Ironically, though most bettors search specifically for Vegas odds on politicians and elections, the Nevada Gaming Control Board doesn't actually allow political or entertainment betting. In fact, no domestic US sportsbook in any state currently allows election odds of any kind.
Thus, you can only bet on Presidential debates at reputable international sportsbooks. Each election cycle, these books offer odds and betting lines on Presidential debates as well as all other aspects of major state and federal races.
The trusted and secure offshore sportsbooks we recommend on this page all provide competitive odds and payouts for betting on Presidential debates, and they offer political prop bets, too. These in particular can get very interesting as the debate season heats up and politicians begin attacking their rivals on specific issues and scandals.
Presidential Debate Odds
Sportsbooks typically only offer odds for Presidential debates a few days or even hours before the events themselves are scheduled to occur. Odds for Presidential debates usually include a variety of betting lines and prop bets covering topics such as:
- What running policies will be discussed
- Whether or not hot topics like immigration, gun control, and climate change are discussed
- Who will speak the most during the debates
- Whether a candidate’s name will be mispronounced
- What colors of clothing specific candidates will wear
- What general terms will be said
- How many times a given phrase will be said
- + More
These lines are almost always structured as pop bets and are simple to place without extensive knowledge of intricate odds calculations. Usually, there will be more varied wagers offered for Presidential primary debates among individual parties, as was the case in the 2020 primaries when over a dozen Democratic candidates took to the stage as the group was whittled down.
When Are The 2024 Presidential Debates?
The next Presidential debate, which will be broadcast on September 10th on ABC, will feature Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Trump has also suggested two additional debates before the November election but the Harris team has yet to accept those date proposals.
Do Las Vegas Oddsmakers Really Care About Presidential Debates?
Absolutely, but only academically. Many Vegas oddsmakers track debate betting trends and release insight about the debates and other elections, even though they don't actually offer betting lines on these events.
In Vegas, debate odds are all about marketing other betting opportunities to eager gamblers. Political betting has surged in popularity over the last several years, but it is difficult to say when exactly Vegas bookies will be able to legally take action on politics.
Fortunately, you can wager on political debates (including both Democratic debates and Republican debates) at offshore sports betting sites like those listed here. These sites have lots of experience covering American elections, and the odds available should provide loads of entertainment regardless of the pols on the stage.
Debate Betting Tips And Tricks
When betting on Presidential debate odds or primary debate odds, there aren't too many things to look out for when it comes to strategy. However, you can take a few steps to make sure you give yourself the best chances to win, so we've included a bit of advice here.
Observe Candidate Trends
It's important to research which candidates will be debating before placing a wager on them. The likelihood of a candidate succeeding in a debate could be as simple as who they're facing, their experience with other candidates, whether they agree with the moderators on certain policies, and whether or not they are otherwise polarizing to some voting bloc or other.
Many candidates ramp up engagement efforts before debates via town halls, public canvassing, namedropping other candidates, social media blitzes, introducing new policies that become hot conversation topics, and so on. Pay attention to these and how each move is received, and you can get a serious debate betting edge.
Hedge Your Debate Bet
Hedging your debate bets is all about finding win-win situations. This could mean wagering on two individuals in the debate who seem like the strongest contenders or the ones who have obvious policy stances that resonate with the wider population, then finding debate betting lines that relate to these policies. Again, this option will have to be specific to the debate betting lines currently available.
You can also watch how betting trends shift, placing a wager early and then taking the other side when the line moves too far. This guarantees a profit no matter the outcome. This strategy is called "playing the middle," and it's ironically what all successful candidates try to do with their audiences.
2020 Democratic Presidential Debates Timeline
The following Democratic debates were held during 2019 and 2020 as the party sought to find a credible challenger to Republican incumbent Donald Trump. There were no GOP primary debates before the 2020 Presidential election.
How Many Democratic Debates Were Held Before The Nominee Was Decided?
Before the 2020 general election, the original DNC schedule called for 12 debates to be held before settling on the eventual Democratic nominee (six in 2019 and six in 2020). However, Biden became the presumptive nominee before the full conclusion of the slate, and the 12th debate was canceled. You can see the details for each debate's date and location in the section above.
2020 Republican Debates
The Republican party did not hold any Republican primary debates, as the Republican National Convention (RNC) chose to skip them in support of incumbent President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign. This is standard operating procedure for incumbents who don't have any credible national challengers.
Nevertheless, offshore sportsbooks had Republican odds available for several potential party contenders, and you could also get a host of wacky Donald Trump props and Trump election odds pretty much year-round. Hopefully, that will be true in 2024, too.
Where Can I Watch The Presidential Debates?
Presidential debates can be watched on several platforms, depending on which partner network is hosting them. These include outfits like ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, FOX News, and others. These networks also offer mobile streaming apps so debates can be conveniently watched on your favorite mobile devices. Many broadcaster websites include live coverage on their home pages and Twitter/Facebook feeds, as well.