Mystery British businessman bets $5m on Trump in ‘largest political wager ever’
The former banker stands to win almost $15m if the US president wins a second term
A British gambler is hoping to prove US election pundits wrong after placing a $5m (£3.9m) bet at odds of 37/20 on Donald Trump winning the presidential race.
As US voters go the polls today, The Sun reports that the unnamed “fluttering financier” placed his big-bucks wager with a private bookmaker on the Caribbean island of Curacao after speaking to “Trump camp insiders”. A betting industry source told the newspaper that “word of this bet has done the rounds and we think it’s the biggest ever made on politics”.
Speculation is growing about the identity of the mystery businessman, who is reported to be a “rich former banker who is based offshore”. Whoever he is, the high-stakes gambler “could walk away with almost $15m” (£11.6m) if his “hunch is successful”, says the Daily Mail.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Another mystery punter is hoping that won’t be the case, after betting £1m on Joe Biden to win the election, according to British bookmaker Betfair Exchange. If the Democratic challenger secures the keys to the White House, the UK-based gambler will take home £1.4m.
Biden remains favourite to win the election, but bookmakers say there has been a late flurry of bets on Trump.
Ladbrokes reports that over the past week, three in four of all bets were for the Republican to secure a second term. A spokesperson for the betting giant said that although “Biden looks home and hosed, even at the eleventh hour punters are continuing to back Trump at the odds on offer”.
That pattern is being repeated over at Paddy Power, with 93% of the money bet on the election over the last day backing a Trump victory.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - reflections in the pond, riding shotgun, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
'A financial windfall for Iranian terrorism'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Biden tackles campus protests, deplores 'chaos'
Speed Read Students have a "right to protest but not a right to cause chaos," the president said
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Box Trump in for real if he pulls another stunt. Put him behind bars.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Can we — the people who have bought so much already — really keep buying more?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Presidential debates are more performance art than actual ways to inform'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump, DeSantis meet for first time since primary
Speed Read The former president and the Florida governor have seemingly mended their rivalry
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Justices set to punt on Trump immunity case
Speed Read Conservative justices signaled support for Trump's protection from criminal charges
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Biden is smart to keep the border-security pressure on'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published