Presidential debate moves betting line on race

[Kadie]

Presidential debate moves betting line on race

Saturday, October 2, 2004


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(10-02) 10:47 PDT LAS VEGAS (AP) --

President Bush remains the betting favorite with bookies -- but his 2-1 odds eroded significantly after Thursday's first presidential debate.

By Friday afternoon, money on challenger John Kerry moved the betting line in Kerry's direction, "indicating an overwhelming perception on the part of wagerers that Kerry had outperformed Bush decisively," Las Vegas gambling expert Anthony Curtis said.

Going into the debate, $100 on Kerry would have won the bettor $200 if Kerry won the election. That same bet as of Friday would win $160.

"Bettors are strictly nonpartisan. All they care about is their money, which makes this a very efficient and unbiased benchmark," said Curtis.


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/10/02/politics1347EDT0046.DTL