Donald Trump big betting underdog to Joe Biden in debate

Joe Biden is a heavy favorite to win the first U.S. presidential debate Tuesday over President Donald Trump.

The Democratic nominee is a -260 favorite and Trump a 2-1 underdog at William Hill sportsbook in the United Kingdom. The debate will be decided by a CNN snap poll.

Biden is -225 and Trump +163 at London-based Betfair Exchange, which also offers several props on the debate.

“I strongly expect Biden to win the debate because Hillary Clinton won all the debates in 2016. I don’t think Trump did well in the primary debates when he ran, either,” said professional gambler Paul Krishnamurty, Betfair Exchange’s election expert. “But you have to wonder, does it matter and what is each candidate trying to achieve?

“In Trump’s case, his task is easier as all he has to do is to get one or two short clips where they can humiliate Biden and share it on social media and that’s their game. They won’t lose their core votes and it’s impossible to imagine Trump’s base abandoning him.”

Betfair also offers odds on the color of ties worn by each man. Red is the +150 favorite for Trump’s tie and blue is the 2-1 second choice. Blue is the +125 favorite for Biden, with yellow/gold the +333 second choice.

The odds are stacked against Trump wearing a mask on stage, with No a heavy -1,000 favorite, meaning bettors have to wager $1,000 to win $100. Yes is 5-1.

The odds are even greater against Trump and Biden shaking hands at the start of the debate. No is a -1,400 favorite. Yes is 7-1.

Will they greet each other with an elbow bump at the start of the debate? No is -200. Yes is +150.

Which country will be mentioned most in the debate, China or Russia? China is a -175 favorite and Russia a +125 underdog.

Biden remains a small favorite to win the election over Trump. He’s -130 and Trump +110 at William Hill, and the odds are -130 and +111 at offshore book Pinnacle.

More than $122 million has been bet on the election at Betfair, which recently took a $225,000 wager on Biden.

Betfair reported in an email Monday that Trump’s odds to win the election worsened overnight, moving from +120 to +138 following a report Sunday in The New York Times that he paid no federal income taxes in 10 of the past 15 years.

”Bettors are turning their back on Donald Trump with his odds drifting out to (+138) after having been (+120) before the New York Times’ bombshell report was published, while Joe Biden has improved from (-120) to (-125),” Betfair spokesperson Darren Hughes said. “Trump has been able to shrug off previous damaging stories about him, but this latest revelation has had a real impact on his chances of winning reelection.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.