(from the files of Brendan Pawliw MyPgNow.com staff)
BC Gamblers are hoping money won is twice as sweet as money earned when it comes to the American Election.
According to the BC Lottery Corporation, approximately 10-thousand bets are expected to be placed, which would make it the single-most popular betting event in the history of its PlayNow.com website.
The 2016 US Election saw 72-hundred bets placed.
This year, about 1.5 million dollars is expected to be placed on Tuesday’s vote.
Spokesperson Matt Lee told Vista Radio the province’s close proximity to Alaska and Washington state helps drive up the interest for bettors.
“There are some close ties especially in the Lower Mainland and the US border in general just because of that close proximity but there are probably a lot of people that have dual citizenship or even family members with dual citizenship and they want to be apart of that conversation.”
“I think we all know that the US election is probably the most important election globally speaking and I think for Canadians we follow American politics very closely, we watch what happens south of the border and there probably is a little extra layer of intrigue this year.”
Lee mentioned the American election is more popular than the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup Playoffs, or NBA Finals.
He also touched on the different types of wagers that can be placed.
“People can bet on, which states are going to go Republican or Democratic and people can also bet on which party will win the election if they choose to change things up. British Columbians are wanting to get a part of the action, have some skin in the skin and place a couple of bets because they want to be apart of the action.”
Forty-four percent of the bets have money on Donald Trump winning a second term while 27% of online gamblers are wagering on Joe Biden.
For a list of the types of wagers eligible to be placed click here.
BCLC was the first jurisdiction in Canada to offer novelty betting on the US Election in 2014.
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