Just weeks ago, Democratic US Presidential candidate Barack Obama was at even odds with Republican candidate John McCain. Prior to this time Obama had peaked at just over 2/1 odds (-210). Heading into Tuesday, Obama had his highest odds yet at -225 courtesy of BetUS.com, which was also offering state-by-state election betting.

Obama has benefited from the economic downturn apparently. He was also widely perceived as winning last Friday's debate, though many experts claim McCain was the real winner in terms of foreign affairs knowledge. With the economy weighing heavily on most voters minds, McCain's success in that area may have gone unnoticed.

Barack Obama's calmly assured response to the economic crisis and solid debate performance have bolstered the view among voters that he is ready to be chief executive, a crucial threshold he needs to cross to win the presidency.

The improved standing for Obama, a candidate still not well-known, was captured by polling this weekend, in interviews with Democrats and Republicans and by the response of his rival, John McCain, who intensified his criticism that the young senator lacks the experience and judgment to lead the nation.

"A vote for Senator Obama will leave this country at risk," McCain told a rally in Columbus, Ohio, ratcheting up the criticism in a speech that acknowledged his likeliest path to the White House is casting his Democratic rival as unacceptable. McCain said the choice voters face is: "Country first or Obama first?"

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Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com