More people are betting on this election than ever before

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 7 November 2016

Will Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump be the next president of the United States? That is the million-dollar question.

Well, answering it correctly could earn you a chunk of change, anyway. As the polls tighten on the eve of Election Day, Reuters reports that the 2016 presidential campaign is on track to be the most wagered-upon political event in history.

Betfair, a U.K.-based online exchange, reports that predicting the "next president" of the U.S. is expected to even surpass Brexit betting. On Sunday, Betfair reported that $130 million had been traded on U.S. presidential predictions, while Brexit topped out at $159 million. "We think it is because [of] how raw the Brexit [vote] is in people's minds — they're not convinced yet that it's a done deal," Betfair spokeswoman Naomi Totten said. (U.S. law significantly limits betting on elections in the United States).

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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