British Trump Backers Bash Betfair Over Biden Payout, Claim Election Fraud

Posted on: December 16, 2020, 07:56h. 

Last updated on: December 16, 2020, 02:44h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

US President Donald Trump’s British fanbase may be a small and marginalized group. But its members are no less fixated on election fraud — especially those who had money riding on the presidential race.

election fraud
US President Donald Trump’s claims of election fraud have been called baseless. But they are going down well among Brits who backed him on Betfair. (Image: Voice of America)

Some Trump backers across the Pond are aggrieved that online operators like Betfair have closed their books on the US election now that the Electoral College has declared for Biden, according to The Daily Beast. Some have even vowed to sue.

Many who spoke to The Beast continued placing their bets long after the voting stopped, as they immersed themselves in conspiracy theories touted by right-wing web media. They were convinced their man would eventually be declared the winner because of election fraud.

Holding Out Hope for Election Fraud

One, a British woman based in Amsterdam, “Helen,” said she stood to win around €2.7 million on a stake of around €140,000, much of it piled on post-voting.

Helen is still holding out hope. She said she believes the election will either be declared void, and she will get her money back, or Trump will be declared the winner “via the terms of the 12th Amendment.”

Either way, Trump will be inaugurated on 20th January, and I expect Betfair to pay out accordingly,” she claimed.

Helen was able to confirm the amount she had wagered on the election via screenshots sent to the Beast.

Betfair said shortly after the election that it would only settle the markets when there was “certainty around which candidate has the most projected Electoral College votes.”

£600 Million Wagered on Betfair

Betting on the outcome of political events is illegal in the US, although many citizens do so via the black market. In Europe, and the UK in particular, political betting has grown in popularity in recent years, mirroring the rise of populist politics and the polarization of political opinion on issues such as Brexit.

The US election was the biggest political betting event the world has ever seen, with £600 million ($793 million) traded on Betfair in the UK alone.

It’s little wonder that a small minority of Brits feel invested in the results, financially and emotionally. This is why they are as reluctant as their US counterparts to just let it go.

UK gambler “Billy Bets” runs a small pro-Trump forum. He told The Beast he and his “new anti-Betfair Whatsapp group” was pursuing legal action against Betfair for paying out Biden bets.

Why Billy Bets believes he can achieve what the State of Texas and 18 Republican-led states failed to do in the conservative-led US Supreme Court is anyone’s guess. Although you have to admire the strength of his conviction.