As it turns out, some sportsbooks do have a line they won’t cross for the sake of a dollar, and cashing in on an assassination attempt appears to reach that threshold.
In the days since a shooting at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, left the former president with a bloodied ear and another attendee dead, FanDuel, BetMGM and DraftKings have all pulled odds for the U.S. presidential election that were being offered in Canada.
Trump was the favorite to win the election at most books before the shooting, but his odds had shortened even more in the hours after, continuing a trend that started after his debate with Joe Biden.
Donald Trump's odds to win US Presidential Election at #BetMGM (Ontario only)
-190: Yesterday
-250: Today pic.twitter.com/923t37vmph
— John Ewing (@johnewing) July 14, 2024
That movement was likely caused by bettors hammering Trump, thinking more U.S. citizens would rally around him after the threat on his life. Though these markets aren’t allowed in the U.S., the decision to disallow betting on them in Canada appears to have been made with the U.S. in mind. Sportsbooks popular in the U.S. seem to be the only ones pulling odds.
“In light of recent events, FanDuel has made the decision to suspend its US election markets,” said a FanDuel spokesperson.
According to Covers’ Geoff Zochodne, other books in Canada like Betano, BetVictor and Fitzdares are still offering odds.
BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel have pulled U.S. election markets in Ontario, but other books (such as Betano, BetVictor, and Fitzdares) have not.
Seems operators with stronger U.S. ties grew skittish following the Trump assassination attempt. Euro operators not so much. pic.twitter.com/Z7PEiw8Ajj
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) July 16, 2024
As of this post, Bet365 continues to offer odds too, with Trump a -275 favorite over Biden at +400.
