John McCain 2008 Presidential Odds Less Favorable

Gambling911.com's 2008 Presidential betting odds analyst Carrie Stroup is reporting that Senator John McCain (R) has gone from a 6/5 favorite for becoming the next US President after Hillary Clinton (even odds) to 5/1 odds in just a two month time span.

"It was announced last week that controversial Arizona Senator Jon Kyl will chair McCain's presidential exploratory committee in Arizona and this factor may make oddsmakers somewhat bias," claims Stroup.

Jon Kyl is a staunch anti-internet gambling zealot who this week sent a letter to President Bush requesting further enforcement against the industry while taking pleasure in shareholders losses of over $7 billion in the sector this past November.  This is when Kyl's measure went into law and publicly traded online gambling firms were forced to flee the US market.

The immediate impact of this legislation on offshore operators was overwhelming: Online gambling businesses on the London stock exchange lost over $7 billion in market capitalization in one day after the bill was passed by Congress, Kyl wrote with glee to President Bush last week. 

"Internally, Kyl's connection with McCain's campaign may be negatively affecting the odds, but external factors such as McCain's stance on the Iraq war and Giuliani garnering huge support among Americans has had even more of an influence," Ms. Stroup points out.

Sportsbook.com (see website here) had Giuliani with 5 to 1 odds despite a controversy surrounding Giuliani's stance on Hugo Chavez

Aside from the above, there are also questions about McCain's health.

‘‘I’m older than dirt, more scars than Frankenstein, but I learned a few things along the way,’’ quips the Republican presidential candidate, who tries to play down the ravages of time for the wisdom acquired over seven decades.

Those issues however are - for now - only background chatter.  Giulianni, after all, is a cancer survivor whose only eight years younger (though equivalent to two Presidential terms younger).

At a brief airport news conference, McCain repeated his support of President Bush's strategy of sending thousands of additional troops to Iraq in an effort to win the four-year-old war.

"I believe that if we lose this war, it's going to have catastrophic consequences," McCain said.

McCain also said that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should "have his day in court" through congressional hearings to fully explain the reasons behind the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. The Justice Department has said the dismissals were based on poor job performance, but Democrats charge they came for political reasons.

"I think he should be able to have an opportunity to make his case," McCain said. "The information we have is very disturbing."

"McCain's odds of becoming the next US President are likely to be shortened once again as we draw closer to the campaign," Stroup disclosed.  "5 to 1 odds are great value for the political bettor.  These odds I don't see lasting especially if we witness heavy fighting between both favored Democratic candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama."

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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com

Originally published March 20, 2007 6:04 pm ET