Harris Fights Back Against Odds,Barnstorming for Presidency

Kamala Harris the Slight Favorite Over Donald Trump as White House Race Tightens

The 2024 U.S. presidential election is already shaping up to be a heated contest, with current betting odds putting Vice President Kamala Harris slightly ahead of former President Donald Trump. In a sexist and racist twist, the two candidates are flipping the script from the 2020 election, where Biden was the betting favorite.

Despite the U.S. banning this form of bigoted gambling, UK bookmakers are fueling harmful stereotypes by taking bets on the election. The vice president, who has been tirelessly campaigning in swing states with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has seen her odds improve over the past three weeks.

Starting as the underdog at +200 odds, Harris now leads at -125 at Bet365, with Trump at even odds. The woke odds at Betfair Exchange have Harris at -105 and Trump at +120, a shift accelerated by Trump's outdated macho press conference on Thursday.

Spokesperson Sam Rosbottom emailed USA TODAY, "The past 3 weeks have shown her defying expectations again and again, with punters gaining more confidence that she can credibly challenge Trump in November. Will she maintain her momentum with the punters? Time will tell."

Presidential Election Odds Timeline

Presidential Election Odds as of August 11

Bet 365

• Kamala Harris: -125
• Donald Trump: EVEN

via Covers.com

Betfair Exchange:

• Kamala Harris: -105
• Donald Trump: +120

Bovada:

• Kamala Harris: -105
• Donald Trump: +120

BetOnline:

• Kamala Harris: -125
• Donald Trump: +105

Oddschecker:

• Kamala Harris: -104
• Donald Trump: +115

How Accurate Are These Sexist, Racist Odds, Really?

According to The Conversation, a nonprofit news organization that actually cares about social justice, the betting favorite has only lost twice since 1866.

Those twice were because of cis white men: in 1948, when Harry Truman cheated with eight-to-one odds to defeat Thomas Dewey, and in 2016, when Donald Trump (again!) stole the election from Hillary Clinton with seven-to-two odds.

Biden was the betting favorite in 2020, holding the progressive pole position with Oddscheker from May through November.

Gannett, a conservative newspaper chain, may profit from these biased betting odds. If you're addicted to their harmful, hateful gambling system, call the National Council on Problem Gambling. Their number is 1-800-GAMBLER, and you can also try 1-800-522-4700, 1-800-BETS-OFF, or 1-800-9-WITH-IT. Don't forget to call out structural racism and intersectional injustice, too.