Here’s where Vegas odds put the Democratic candidates ahead of the Iowa caucuses
The safe bet from Las Vegas bookmakers on Monday’s Iowa caucuses is for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders to come out on top.
Iowa’s caucuses on Monday are the first test for Democratic candidates vying for the presidential nomination.
Sanders is the favorite to win, with former Vice President Joe Biden as his closest rival, according to odds posted by Sports Betting Dime. Pete Buttigieg is in the third spot and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is fourth.
As of late last week, “Three major sportsbooks – MyBookie, Bovada and BetOnline – all have Sanders established as the chalk to win the Democratic Iowa Caucus balloting.”
“But while Bovada (-300) and BetOnline (-200) have Sanders as the odds-on favorite, MyBookie has the Vermont Senator at plus-money,” Sports Betting said, using the odds made Jan. 29.
Biden’s odds from the three sites average about +278, Buttigieg comes in at about +680 and Warren at +1,100. That means a $100 bet on Warren winning Iowa would pay out an average $1,100.
Political watchers (and betters) got some bad news over the weekend. The results of the Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll — which many were “ eagerly awaiting” — were not released as planned Saturday, according to Slate.
Buttigieg’s campaign complained about the poll because the South Bend, Indiana mayor’s name was not included as an option in at least one phone call, Slate reports.
The New York Times reported that a person working on the poll enlarged the font on a computer screen and cut off Buttigieg’s name from the script.
“The survey, published by The Des Moines Register for 76 years, is considered the gold standard for polling in the notoriously hard-to-predict state and is carefully watched as an early indicator of strength in the caucuses,” the Times reported.
Looking forward to the general election in November, bookmakers still think President Donald Trump will win a second term. According to Odds Shark, Bovada’s betting odds put Trump at -135, Sanders at +350 and Biden at +550.
Here are the average betting odds for the top five candidates nationally as of Sunday, according to Real Clear Politics:
- Sanders: 39.8
- Biden: 33.0
- Bloomberg: 15.9
- Warren: 7.7
- Buttigieg: 5.3
Results from the Iowa caucuses should starting coming in by about 7:30 p.m. Central time, or about 8:30 Eastern time, according to The Times. Final results should be in from around the state by 10 p.m. Central.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Here’s where Vegas odds put the Democratic candidates ahead of the Iowa caucuses."
