No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNo Safe Bets on Bush-Kerry Line

No Safe Bets on Bush-Kerry Line

NOT only large corporations willbenefit financially from the reelection ofU.S. President George W. Bush – as theleader’s opponents allege – average citizensmay have also grown a little richerwhen the U.S. election results wereannounced Wednesday.Like other subjects, such as the weddingbetween Jennifer Lopez and MarkAnthony, the capture of Osama BinLaden and the first person to land onMars, the race between Bush and Sen.John Kerry sparked hot action at sportsbooks,as online gambling centers areoften called.For years, bookies have been takingbets on elections, but this year broughtexcitement to many San José sportsbooksnot often seen, according to managers.With the U.S. candidates nearly even inthe polls, not even gamblers knew theodds of each candidate’s victory.On Election Day alone, the bettingline on the possibility of Kerry’s victorybounced from +200 to –500 to +200, aswing essentially unheard of in gambling.“It would be like the old ChicagoBulls team announcing that MichaelJordan, Scotty Pippen and DennisRodman will not be available to play thatnight which would cause the line toplummet and the heavy favorite wouldbecome an underdog. Then an announcementwould say that not only are theygoing to play, but they’ve added MagicJohnson and Larry Bird to the startinglineup,” said Robert McPhail, director ofAskthebookie.com, a sportsbook informationWeb site based in San José.In gambling a minus line is a favorite,a positive line is an underdog. The linemoves based on odds. A line of -500means a gambler who bets $500, wins$100 if they win. With a line of +200, agambler bets $100 to make $200. A gamblerwho takes a serious underdog, suchas the possibility that Elvis is alive(which is an actual sportsbook bet andhas a line of +10,000), stands to win$10,000 on a $100 bet if it is discoveredthe beloved crooner is living.The manager of one of San José’slargest sportsbooks said that by Tuesdayafternoon they had taken more than 1,000bets for a total of nearly $600,000.

Trending Now

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

An Expat’s Take: 5 Burning Questions About Life in Costa Rica Right Now

Have you been keeping up with the various events taking place in Costa Rica? There is always something interesting going down, and here are...

Why Costa Rica Feels Like a Safe Haven for This Longtime Expat

If someone asked me to sum up why I live in Costa Rica in 5 words or less, my answer could well be: “It...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

2025 Gold Cup: Honduras Advances After Dramatic Shootout, Mexico Ends Goal Drought

Honduras, with a surprising and dramatic penalty shootout victory over Panama, and Mexico, with a lackluster win against Saudi Arabia, advanced Saturday to the...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica