When Will Election Bettors Learn the Results?

Betting on political elections has become a modern phenomenon. Despite its hazy legality in many markets, it has successfully attracted millions of players. Evidently, the event everyone has now set their sights on is the presidential election in the United States.

Delays Are Possible

So, when are political players going to know whether they will cash out winning bets? As it turns out, the first polls are set to close at 6 pm EST on Tuesday. The last polls, on the other hand will close at 1 am EST.

While the anticipation tends to be great, previous elections have not been too consistent when it comes to the timing of the announcement of the results. Historically, some winners have been revealed late on election night, while other announcements have been postponed until the morning.

The previous election, for example, saw Joe Biden confirmed as the 46^th president of the United States four days after the election. The prior election, on the other hand, saw Donald Trump elected as winner a few hours after the polls closed.

In any case, bettors should arm themselves with patience just in case. Additionally, they should consider that close results could also trigger recounts, further postponing the final result. Other possible setbacks could be pre-election lawsuits or election disorder. The losing candidate may also decide to challenge the results, mirroring Trump’s effort to overturn the Electoral College’s decision in 2020.

A worst-case scenario could mean that Americans and political bettors would need to wait. This was the case in 2000 when the winner was decided only after five weeks of delays and vote recounts.

Who’s Likely to Win?

Political bettors remain somewhat divided on who is going to win. While Trump had a significant momentum, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaigning swayed many people. Even Elon Musk, who has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s campaign, admitted that Harris performed well in the debates.

Harris’ campaigning has mainly targeted the common folk of the USA, while Trump has garnered the support of many influential businessmen.

Despite everything, the latest betting results show that some bettors believe Trump has a slight edge.

In any case, many experts expect a close election. In an extremely likely outcome, a tie is possible, which would trigger a contingent election in the House of Representatives. However, this has so far only happened twice in US history.

In any case, the inauguration itself is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2025.