SEARCH NEWS:

 

Betcom.com Releases Supreme Court Nomination Odds

Supreme Court appointments usually don't get much attention in the betting world. However, with Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist's late-October announcement that he is undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer and will likely retire, the next Supreme Court nomination has been thrust to the forefront of American politics and now with American bettors.

"Politics is a natural extension of wagering options," says Robert Evans, President of Betcom. "And this year we obviously saw tremendous growth in all our political props. And now our clients demand more than just sports and entertainment proposition bets."

Further heightening interest with the nomination is that of the nine current members of the Supreme Court, all but one is over 65. And speculation is that Bush could have the chance to replace as many as four of the nine justices on the nation's highest bench during his final term, an unprecedented total.

"Bush's choices will shape the laws of the land for generations, as this is truly the start of an extremely important time in the court's history. So bettors and non-bettors had better pay attention," says Evans.

"For our industry, this has direct implications because of the current Freedom of Speech challenge being waged against the legality of the U.S. Department of Justice's recent threat to advertisers of Internet gaming ads as being unlawful. The case will no doubt have a profound effect as to our clients' legal right to wager online for years to come," says Evans.

As for speculation on the next Chief Justice, Bush has said that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and his conservative ideological brother, Justice Clarence Thomas, are his favorites on the court. That is fueling speculation that one of them will be tapped to become Chief Justice, adds Evans.

"But we expect strong opposition from Democrats regarding Scalia's appointment, which could make this a very interesting proposition for bettors willing to go against the general consensus," says Evans.

As for the potential vacancies on the Supreme Court, pundits believe President Bush faces a political firestorm in the Senate, where Democrats have already blocked 10 Bush nominees to other courts.

"President Bush has vowed that his nominee will be 'somebody who knows the difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law,' which made us really do our research and see who that person might be," says Evans.

< Gaming News