Josh Shapiro, the Odds-On Betting Favorite to Be Kamala Hariss’ VP

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro has become the clear betting favorite in the race to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

In the Lead at Popular Sportsbooks 

The 51-year-old has risen on top of oddsmakers’ boards ever since Kamala Harris assumed the presumptive presidential nomination from the party following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race.

Shapiro, who is a lawyer and politician serving since 2023 as the 48th governor of the Keystone State, was nip and tuck with Arizona senator Mark Kelly while fending off charges from governors Tim Walz and Andrew Beshear representing Minnesota and Kentucky, respectively. 

Under the “Getting Stuff Done” motto, the governor laid out his “commonsense agenda since Day One,” and has already started delivering results for the people of Pennsylvania on matters like creating economic opportunity, helping students chart their course, and investing in safer communities.

However, for the time being, US sportsbooks are not legally part of the betting action. In May, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission deemed it against the public’s interest to wager on the US Presidential Election, among others. 

At the start of July, the CFTC announced it would expand the public comment period for the proposed ban on election bets, giving stakeholders until early in August to send in their ideas.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Shapiro stood at +120 at British bookmaker Bet365 and reached -260 the following day. 

In other words, a bettor would need to bet $260 to win $100 on Wednesday.

Andrew Beshear stood at +650 while the odds for Mark Kelly were set at +700. Tim Walz stood at +900 while Pete Buttigieg hit the +2000 mark.

Similarly, Shapiro was a favorite at the other sportsbooks surveyed by USA TODAY. 

According to the same publication, Kamala Harris is expected to go on a tour next to her chosen vice president next week while intending to make the official announcement sometime before August 7.

The Democratic vice presidential nominee betting odds offered by Bovada as of July 31 stood at -290 for Josh Shapiro, +600 for Andrew Beshear, +1000 for Mark Kelly, +1400 for Tim Walz, and +2500 for Pete Buttigieg.

BetOnline offered the following odds for the Democratic nominees: -400 for Josh Shapiro, +800 for Andrew Beshear, +900 for Tim Walz, +950 for Mark Kelly, +2800 for Pete Buttigieg.

Oddschecker offered -294 odds for Josh Shapiro, +1000 for Andrew Beshear, +1200 for Mark Kelly, +1600 for Tim Walz, and +2900 for Pete Buttigieg.

Usually, bets based on the current political context reflect people’s opinions on various topics while highlighting different aspects of the electoral process and showcasing how they perceive elections.

Different countries use different regulations regarding betting on political elections. In June, a Taiwanese gambler was charged for betting on the 2024 elections in the country using a crypto-betting site.  

On the other hand, UK bettors engaged with the general election on July 4 by placing wagers valued at £1.35 million ($1.71 million) just 24 hours after the campaign officially kicked off.