Where can I go to legally place a large wager on the US Presidential
race? (I'm a US citizen)

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Request for Question Clarification by juggler-ga on 30 Jul 2004 11:36 PDT

Hi,

Re: "Where can I go...?"

Are you interested in physically going to a location where such
wagering is legal?

Or are you asking whether there's a way of legally betting on the election online?

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Clarification of Question by blastkin-ga on 30 Jul 2004 12:45 PDT

Yes, physically going there. I want it to be legit.  I'd be willing to
do it online, if it were legal, totally legit, and I could wager up to
$10,000.

Thanks.

First of all, I should note that Google Answers provides general
information, not professional legal advice.  If you need professional
legal advice, you should contact a qualified attorney.
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From GamblingMagazine.com:

"Betting on elections is illegal in the United States. However, the
practice of wagering on the outcome of a vote is legal and popular in
Europe, Mexico, South and Central American and Australia."
http://www.gamblingmagazine.com/ManageArticle.asp?C=610&A=81


Betting on U.S. presidential elections is legal and currently available in Britain.

See this article from CBS.com:

"Bettor Gambles $110,000 On Bush Re-Election
LONDON - A Canadian bettor has gambled $110,000 that U.S. President
George W. Bush will win re-election in November, the largest wager
Ladbrokes bookmakers has ever taken on an American vote, it said
Friday.
...Ladbrokes already has taken 1,200 bets on this year's race,
compared to 1,000 total in 2000."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/21/national/main625151.shtml


Ladbrokes is one of the big betting shops in Britain.  They won't
accept online  bets from the U.S. because of the "Wire Act" (18 USC
§1084) which prohibits using U.S. interstate wires for wagering.

You could presumably place a bet in person if you actually traveled to
London, but it's best to contact them for more information before
planning a trip:
http://comws01.ladbrokes.com/sb3_portal/en/corporate/contactus.html

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search strategy:
bookmakers president election bush kerry

I hope this helps.  Good luck!

You might try www.betfair.com.  I'm not sure if it will work for US
citizens, but it is possible to bet on the US presidential election
there.  (It's based in the UK.)