On Tuesday, November 3rd, voters will “decide” the future of this great country as they elect the next President of the United States.
Although there are multiple candidates, Democrat Joe Biden and current President Donald Trump of the Republican Party are the leading choices to become the 46th President.
Currently, sites with odds on the US Presidential election list Joe Biden as a massive betting favorite to win the popular vote with odds as high as -600. Trump is listed as a +425 underdog.
Biden is also listed as a sizable favorite to win the Presidency with odds as high as -200. Trump is listed as a +175 underdog. Oddsmakers have also gone as far as favoring Trump to lose some of the states that he won in 2016.
It’s clear, betting sites do not think Donald Trump will win a second term in the Oval office. When it comes to Trump, you either love him or hate him. There’s very little in between unless you are an independent.
With that in mind, there are some speculations that Americans will riot over the outcome of this election regardless of who wins. In fact, some extremists have dared to question whether or not the rioting will lead to the White House getting burned down.
Although online sportsbooks have yet to list odds for either of these occurrences, let’s take a closer look at each possibility and handicap them ourselves.
Will There Be Rioting After the United States Presidential Election?
- Yes (-115)
- No (-115)
With today’s climate, I believe the odds of a riot are even regardless of who wins. However, if Trump wins then those odds would definitely go up.
2020 has been an extreme year with a pandemic, racial injustices, and heightened tensions over political issues. Trump’s critics have increased over the years and it’s almost a guarantee that people will riot if he wins.
As for Biden, I believe Trump supporters could also riot to show their disapproval over the results. Yet, I don’t see those riots reaching the same level of intensity if Trump wins a second term.
Typically, when online betting sites can’t decide on which betting option is the favorite, they will list each option with the same betting odds but put enough juice on them to get their cut no matter how the betters lay their money.
I actually believe that this prop bet will get listed with at least one sportsbook, if not more. When that happens, take the “yes” option.
Will There Be Rioting? – Yes, there will be rioting (-115)
Will the White House Burn Down After the 2020 Election?
- No (-10000)
- Yes (+2000)
Since the founding of the United States in 1776, the White House has only been set on fire twice:
The Fire of 1814
Less than 40 years after the American Revolution, the United States and Britain were at war once again. This time they were engaged in the War of 1812 as Britain had been responsible for numerous acts of aggression towards the growing United States.
Some of those acts included forcing American sailors into servitude, aiding Native American tribes in battles against the expanding United States, and imposing trade restrictions.
After these acts of aggression, and due to other political incidents, the United States declared war against Britain and its allies in June 1812.
President James Madison and his political team were able to escape before British forces reached the Capitol.
The Brits set fire to the South wing first. The fire spread quickly to the North Wing where the Library of Congress’ 3,000 volume collection was destroyed along with other historic artifacts throughout the White House. After the British left, a massive storm put out the fires in the region.
It took 12 years before the Capitol was fully rebuilt.
The West Wing Burns
On Christmas Eve of 1929, one week after the infamous stock market crash, a fire broke out in the West Wing due to faulty electrical wiring.
Now, this incident is very different than the 1814 burning, but it’s still listed as an official burning of the White House.
Herbert Hoover was the sitting President at the time. Since the West Wing housed non-essential services to the Government, President Hoover was able to work from the Oval office while renovations were being done.
The West Wing’s repairs were finished in April 1930. The President and his staff were able to move back into this wing on the 14th of that month.
Will the White House Burn for a Third Time?
It’s rather insane to think that our Capitol could ever be burned down again. Yet, here we are discussing the “minute possibility.”
During the protests over the death of George Floyd in May of this year, protestors lit fires “near the White House.” The combination of smoke and tear gas made for a chaotic scene in our nation’s Capital.
With that said, I don’t see this White House ever being in danger of a destructive fire in our lifetimes. No matter how intense protests get over Trump or Biden, rioters won’t get anywhere close to the White House.
Some political betting websites have a maximum line of -10000 odds and that’s exactly what I’ve handicapped the “no” option of this prop bet at.
In reality, the odds should be one million-to-one as it will never happen.
Regardless of which way you vote, let’s hope that we have peace instead of violence and unity instead of political divisiveness.
Will the White House Burn Down After Election? – No (-10000)
Michael Stevens
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. …
