Political prediction markets work a bit differently than traditional sportsbooks, but they do offer a legal option for Americans wondering how they can bet on politics. Luckily, would-be political bettors in many other countries around the globe are free to wager on the next President or other major political developments directly at their. There are no US federal laws that prohibit Americans from enjoying online political betting at a legal online sports betting site that holds the proper credentials and operates overseas. Unless you live in the state of Washington or Connecticut, state gambling laws do not make it illegal to participate in licensed online political betting from. Although gambling is illegal in mainland China, Macau is a gambling haven. 50% of Macau’s revenue is made up from gambling alone. In 2018 the city made almost $38 billion.

The Republican Party is one of two major political parties in the United States. Founded in 1854, the party’s original policy was centered around anti-slavery and economic reform. In fact, slavery was outlawed in the United States in 1865 under Abraham Lincoln, who was the first Republican president.

Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find a top-tier online betting site that doesn’t offer comprehensive coverage on US politics. The surge in betting interest has coincided with Trump’s surprising win over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Many political betting sites had Trump as a massive underdog leading into Election Day, but the former reality TV star was ultimately able to pull off the upset of a lifetime. Below we have listed the best sites for political betting on the Republican party.

Interestingly enough, the original Republican Party shared a lot of ideals currently carried by the modern-day Democratic Party. The current Republican Party embraces conservatism and some policy ideas that were held by the original Democrats. Both major American political parties have essentially done a 180 from where they started.

Republicans have accounted for 19 American presidents overall, including sitting president Donald Trump. The Republican Party has accounted for more presidents than any other party in American history.

So, it stands to reason that betting real money on Republican candidates online to win presidential races has been a profitable endeavor over the years. While political betting hasn’t always been as popular as it is today, there’s no questioning the fact that political betting markets have made their way into the American mainstream. Some of the more prominent news organizations in the world commonly cite the latest presidential betting odds when covering the race for the White House.

Criteria for Top Political Betting Sites

Comprehensive Republican Party Betting Coverage

As mentioned, it isn’t difficult nowadays to find all sorts of political betting odds. The top sports betting sites in the industry also cover the world of entertainment and politics. Some sites simply offer futures bets on the next US presidential election, but some take the extra step of offering ancillary props and futures bets on things like congressional races and other political matters.

Mobile Compatibility

Nowadays, the vast majority of American bettors prefer to place their bets online. Land-based casinos still have a place, but advancements in technology have made it easier than ever to place bets conveniently using your laptop or mobile device. The sites with the best Republican betting odds offer mobile compatibility so that you can place your bets from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet.

Banking Methods

Not all political betting sites are equal when it comes to banking options. Some banks or credit card companies in the United States block transactions with known betting entities. So, you may have to use an alternative banking option if you want to deposit at a site and place bets online. Fortunately, there have never been more readily available payment options than there are now.

While most sites accept major credit cards, the top US election betting sites accept other forms of payment like Bitcoin or e-wallets as a way of making the overall online betting process as easy as possible. It’s good to have options, isn’t it?

Fast Payouts

Americans are big on convenience. When it comes to getting paid, it’s understandable to expect quick and easy payouts. The sites with the best Republican betting odds pride themselves on offering customers fast payouts so that they won’t have to wait around to see their winnings reflected in their Republican party betting bankroll. Fast payouts are a win-win. Bettors can cash out as quickly as they want, while sites reap the benefits of bettors having extra cash to use to place more bets on the site.

Betting on the Republican Party

Status of the Republican Party

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As of the summer of 2020, Republicans wield most of the power in the American federal government. The party has had control of the executive branch since January of 2017 thanks to Trump’s aforementioned victory over Clinton four years ago.

The Republican Party has also held a majority in the US Senate since 2015, which has proved to be hugely important to the Trump administration. Not only has the Senate passed some of Trump’s legislation, but the Republican-majority Senate also voted against removing the president from office after he was impeached by the House of Representatives in early 2020.

Republicans held the White House and both chambers of Congress for the first two years of Trump’s term. The GOP had a majority in the House from 2011 until the 2018 midterm elections when Democrats surged to seize the majority.

Republicans also control 29 of the 50 state legislatures around the US. 21 states have a Republican government trifecta, which means Republicans control the governorship as well as both state chambers of Congress. 26 of the 50 states have Republican governors, while five of the nine sitting justices on the Supreme Court are Republicans as well.

Donald Trump vs. The Field

Trump’s ascent to the White House in 2016 was unforeseen for a number of reasons. When he announced his candidacy in June of 2015, few took it seriously. Trump had considered the idea of running for president on a number of occasions, but he’d never actually made a formal run until then.

Donald Trump’s status as a well-known celebrity known for occasionally saying controversial things helped him garner more media coverage than most other Republican candidates vying for the highest office in the land. While there were countless other members of the party gunning for the White House, Trump’s campaign gained a surprising amount of momentum once primaries and caucuses were held in 2016.

One by one, Trump outlasted them all. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and Chris Christie were just a few of the candidates that Trump wound up beating out to earn the Republican nomination in the summer of ’16.

While Trump has been a controversial figure both within and outside his own party, he has been a massive favor to in the Republican nominee betting odds again in 2020 since declaring his intentions to run for re-election early in his first term.

However, that didn’t stop a few people from trying to unseat the incumbent. Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh, and former South Carolina congressman Mark Sanford all launched their own presidential campaigns ahead of the 2020 primaries, but none gained steam.

Barring something unforeseen, Trump’s name will be atop the Republican presidential ticket on November 3rd, 2020.

Primary Betting vs. Caucus Betting

The major American political parties use a couple of different methods when it comes to determining their presidential nominees. In the months leading up to Election Day, all 50 states will hold individual contests. Most states hold primaries, but some still use the caucus system.

Iowa and Nevada are among the states that still determine nominees via caucuses. While it seems as though caucuses may not last much longer, they are designed so that voters can congregate and debate the various candidates before coming to a consensus. Voters will show up at certain caucus sites around the state and break off into groups that include supporters of different candidates.

Each candidate will have to earn a percentage of the vote in order to continue. Any candidate that doesn’t reach a certain threshold will essentially be eliminated from consideration at a given political betting site.

Obviously, that creates a lot more uncertainty when it comes to Republican party betting. In 2016, for example, Ted Cruz won the Republican Iowa caucus by a slim margin over Trump. The senator from Texas wound up with just over 27% of the vote compared to 24% for Trump. Cruz was awarded eight delegates, while Trump secured seven.

Primary betting is far more simple. At a primary, voters simply show up, cast their vote, and leave. Betting odds for caucus states tend to be more volatile than odds for states that hold primaries. These days, though, the vast majority of the states utilize the primary system, which keeps things quick and simple.

GOP Nominations

John C. Fremont of California was the first-ever Republican nominee for president back in 1856. He wound up losing to James Buchanan, who would go on to serve one term. Buchanan was incredibly unpopular, though, and Democrats wound up losing the next election in 1860 to Lincoln and the Republicans.

In all, the Republican Party has nominated 29 people to represent the party on the presidential ticket since Fremont’s nomination in 1856. Of those 29, 17 have gone on to win the general election. Republicans have a winning percentage of over 58% in all presidential elections in which they have been represented thus far.

Basics for Betting on the Republican Party

Some States Almost Always Vote Republican

The United States uses the Electoral College in order to determine the next president. In most cases, the candidate that receives a simple majority of the vote in a state will be awarded 100% of that state’s Electoral College votes.

Some states reliably vote one way or another. For example, Republican candidates for president have won all of Texas’ electoral votes in every election dating back to 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected for his first term. The last Democrat to win Texas was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

In general, the Southern states have been safe havens for Republican presidential candidates. Alabama has voted Republican in every election since 1980 as well. Ditto for South Carolina and Mississippi. Oklahoma has voted in favor of Republicans in every election since 1968.

Florida, Ohio Are Often Indications of Success

While there are states that we know will almost always vote one way or another, most modern presidential elections are decided by a few key “swing” states. These states have a much less consistent track record when it comes to siding with one political party. In recent years, the most important swing states have been Florida and Ohio.

If a candidate wins Florida, their odds of going on to win the election have been excellent. Nine of the 10 most recent candidates that have won Florida have gone on to win the general election. The lone exception was George H.W. Bush, who lost to Bill Clinton in the election despite taking Florida.

Ohio has an even stronger record. The candidate that has won Ohio has gone on to win the election every time but once since 1944. The only loser they’ve backed in that span was Richard Nixon in 1960, who wound up losing to John F. Kennedy.

Republican Party Betting in 2024

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There isn’t much drama left in the run-up to the 2020 US presidential election considering Trump will likely square off against Biden in November. Things will truly get interesting for the Republican Party betting starting in 2024.

What happens between now and then likely depends on what happens in November of 2020, so make sure you’re keeping up-to-date with the latest political betting news. We have included our latest political betting blogs below to help you stay on top of everything that is going on in the world of politics.

Trump may be an underdog to win re-election, but that’s a role in which he has enjoyed success in the past. If Trump wins this year, he won’t be eligible for a third term four years from now. Time will tell if some familiar Republicans will make another run for the White House once Trump is out of the picture. Ted Cruz has remained a popular voice in the party even since Trump’s election. It wouldn’t be a major surprise to see Cruz give it another go.

Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, has become a popular figure within the party as well. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is known to have major political aspirations, and the same can be said for other senators like Rick Scott and Tom Cotton.

Political Gambling Website

Vice President Mike Pence could decide to throw his hat into the ring, too. Don’t look now, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Trump’s own children nudge their way into the limelight. Both Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump have been very vocal on the political scene in light of their father’s rise to the top. We wouldn’t be surprised to see political betting sites offering options for betting real money on Republican candidates online for 2024.