Nevada Senator pushing for US Presidential Betting in 2016

Looking for something to spice up the 2016 US Presidential Election? How about betting on the outcome!

This is exactly what Nevada State Senator Tick Segerblom (D-Las Vegas) is proposing that the Silver State do. Last year, Segerblom introduced Senate Bill 418, which would’ve allowed for Nevada sportsbooks to offer betting on the Presidential Election. The bill actually managed to the state senate by a 14-7 vote, however, it flamed out in the Assembly Judiciary Committee.

Segerblom refused to give up, though, after seeing the bill disappear without a Judiciary Committee vote. And thanks to his campaigning, a legislative committee will soon decide if Nevada can allow betting on federal elections.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Segerblom has been using the argument that overseas betting sites are already offering US Presidential Election wagering. “It’s already going on,” he told the Sun. Segerblom added that the state’s betting empire is “stuck in a rut,” and election betting could be just the thing to get it back on track. He also alluded to the fact that English sportsbooks hauled in 20 million pounds from offering betting lines on US elections.

Speaking of which, an English sportsbook named Oddsmaker currently gives Hillary Clinton 11-8 odds of winning the next Presidential Election. Meanwhile, they give Republican Gov. Chris Christie 9-1 odds of winning and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval is listed at 100-1 odds.

Such lines have been common at regulated online sportsbooks in the UK, and even at some non-regulated overseas books that serve American customers. Segerblom’s goal is to make Nevada the first state to take wagers on the US Presidential Race so that offshore books aren’t the only ones capitalizing on this opportunity.

Given the state senator’s quest, it’s little surprise that he had the full of Nevada’s sportsbooks last year. They are very likely to him this time around too as he pushes to get election wagering legalized as soon as possible.

Keeping offshore internet casinos, sports betting and poker sites from making money off American citizens is on many state governments’ agendas these days. New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware have already legalized online gambling while 11 other states are doing serious research on the activity and/or taking steps to enact legislation. That said, Presidential betting is just one of the many possible changes going on with US gaming.