The novelty sector is a popular part of the Unibet platform and, at the heart of the section is a host of options for political betting. It’s been around for decades - long before the birth of the internet - and politics remains as a central focal point in this digital age.
Some of us may even remember blurry black and white TV images of physical betting shops posting up their prices for a UK General Election. Those odds were a good indicator of how the vote would play out and while we have seen some shocks in recent years, political betting markets can still offer pointers to the final result.
In the present day, political betting is for life, not just a UK General Election. British politics still plays a huge part in our politics platform but the practise has now extended right across the world.
Where it all Began
It’s not all about Great Britain these days but UK politics has been fluid in recent years and it remains an important part of Unibet’s political markets. The General Election of 2019 was the third in less than five years and, of course, there was the infamous ‘Brexit’ vote to leave the European Union in 2016.
So, we know that the United Kingdom has this central role but what political markets can you bet on at Unibet? The answer to that question will largely depend on the political landscape at the time but a General Election continues to demand the most attention. This is when the markets are at their busiest and there is a wide choice of bets to accompany the main vote.
Who will get the most seats? This is the question on every political commentator’s lips and it’s also the most obvious market to consider. We like to keep things simple here and will only list the main parties so, in December 2019, there were five options - Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and the Brexit Party.
Listing other parties can be frivolous and a waste of a stake so that’s why the options are as brief as possible. Most Seats is where political betting novices should start but as we’ve seen in the UK in recent years, there is more than one way to win an election.
Election Alternatives
While a single party will win the most seats in a UK General Election, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have secured an overall majority. In this event, Britain will adopt a hung parliament and this has happened in the United Kingdom since the Conservative Party returned to power in 2010.
Because of this, Unibet provide a very active market on which of the parties will secure an overall majority. If you think that another hung parliament is in prospect, you can also opt for the No Overall Majority pick.
Election markets continue with an extensive set of side bets. Unibet customers can bet on the next Prime Minister, the party with the second highest share of the votes and you can even speculate on the voter turnout. Options for individual parties are also quoted so customers can stake on how many seats they feel that a named party will gain when the votes are finally counted.
There are plenty of options but, as we’ve seen, it’s not all about General Elections in the United Kingdom. For an extra boost to your political betting, you can check out the Unibet Promotions page.
Stars and Stripes
At various times in the political calendar, the focus will switch to other parts of the world. In the United States, it is decreed that there will be a Presidential Election every four years unless the current incumbent resigns, is impeached or dies in office. At the time of writing, the next vote will take place in America in 2020 with Donald Trump currently aiming to be elected for a second term.
Trump produced one of the biggest political betting shocks ever when he came to power in 2016. The Republican nominee had emerged from odds in excess of 100/1 to eventually become the 45th President of the United States.
Unibet publish another wide set of political markets ahead of any US Presidential Election, starting with the winning party. Once again, we like to keep things simple so there are just three options - Republicans, Democrats and any Independent candidate.
Individuals are also listed in the market for the next President. Ahead of the respective nominations for Democrats and Republicans, this will feature a long list of names but this will be reduced in the weeks and days leading up to the big vote.
Markets for the two main parties are also available, so if you want to have your say on who the Republican and / or Democratic Candidate might be, it’s perfectly possible to do so.
Along with a number of operators in the industry, we also have a choice of Donald Trump specials. These will obviously cease whenever his Presidential term comes to an end but they will remain open in the interim. It’s a slimmed down package so you won’t find markets relating to the comparative size of the US’ nuclear button but you can speculate on whether Trump will last his whole term and / or whether he will be impeached.
We may not see such a big personality as Trump in the White House anytime soon but there could well be individual political betting markets for future Presidents.
Global Affairs
We’ve now covered political betting options in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. There’s no doubt that those locations offer the most interest among our customers but there are lots of alternatives. In any calendar year, there will be at least one election in Europe and in other parts of the world and you can trust Unibet to provide a competitive set of prices.
In these instances, the choice may be a simple one and it could be a case of just betting on the winning party or the winning candidate. For example, at the end of 2019, the Swedish General Election of 2022 has just one bet for the winning party and there are eight options to choose from.
If it’s a major election in any part of the world, be sure to check out our markets but politics isn’t always about choosing the next leader of the country.
Get it Done
Politics can often throw up referendums for all kinds of issues. As we saw back in 2016, the United Kingdom took a vote on whether to stay or leave the European Union and the result produced another big political betting upset.
The ‘leave’ option was very much the outside bet here: The British voting public upset the market but this wasn’t the end of the story. Three years passed and ‘Brexit’ had still not been delivered but while this was a source of frustration for politicians and the general public alike, the situation provided more options for Unibet and our customers.
The date for Brexit to be actioned is the focus for one market while, in December 2019, customers could stake on whether the UK would leave the EU without a deal. Once again, these specific markets are transient and they may not be in place when you come to read this review but they indicate just how diverse the political betting sector can be.
The situation with Brexit has also led to a number of additional markets relating to the future of the European Union. As 2019 drew to a close following a long period of negotiations with the UK, Unibet customers could stake on which country would be the next to hold a referendum on whether to leave the EU.
Ranging from Malta as the outside bet, all the way down to Italy as the favourites, all member nations of the European Union were listed with a cut off date of January 1st, 2022. Italy also held two additional markets - one on whether they would invoke Article 50 before 01/01/2022 and the other speculating on whether the country would apply to leave the Euro single currency system prior to the same date.
Across the world, betting options for Mayoral elections can be found along with a number of specials. All we need now is for you to get involved.
Time to Cast Your Votes
The list of political betting options at Unibet will be dependent on the landscape at any specific time so your best plan is to keep checking our politics page for updates. It can be a volatile world but one thing is certain: You will never be short of markets to choose from no matter when you log on to place a bet.
General Elections are constant and these are the biggest focal points but political betting markets can be listed for all kinds of referendums. You don’t need to be a political expert in order to succeed but research is important as is the ability to spot trends from previous votes. Added in to that choice of markets are some of the most competitive odds in the industry so, whether you’re a seasoned expert or a political betting novice, Unibet is a great place to be. For more interesting reads about how betting on different sports works, read the Unibet Betting Guides.