Election Punters Backing Brash... NZ Idol Odds

Election Punters Backing Brash... NZ Idol Odds

July 26 2005

Centrebet punters are backing National's Don Brash to become New Zealand's prime minister.

The election betting specialist installed National and Labour as joint favourites to provide the prime minister following the September 17 vote when Helen Clark named the date yesterday.

But bets for National has forced Centrebet to promote Brash's party to outright favouritism. National is 4-5 to fill the country's top job. Labour is evens and New Zealand First is 100-1.

Centrebet specialises in election betting and there is evidence to support its claim that its odds are more accurate than polls. Stanford University's Justin Wolfers and Andrew Leigh, of Harvard, found that Centrebet's odds on the 2001 Australian federal election not only forecast the overall result correctly but also provided precise estimates of outcomes in more than 40 electorates.

Wolfers (http://bpp.wharton.upenn.edu/jwolfers) and Leigh (http://andrewleigh.com) also praised the accuracy of Centrebet's exclusive odds on last year's Australian federal election.

Masterton man Nik remains Centrebet's 7-2 favourite to win the second series of NZ Idol.

NZ Idol winner 7-2 Nik (Masterton) 9-2 Keshia (Auckland) 9-2 Steven (Invercargill) 7-1 Rosita (Auckland) 8-1 Rongo (Mohaka) 10-1 Saelyn (Invercargill) 14-1 Ashley (Cambridge) 14-1 Daniel (Wellington) 14-1 Frank (Rotorua) 16-1 Jesse (Hamilton) 16-1 Maselina (Wellington) 16-1 Mathew (Auckland) 16-1 Rick (Auckland) 20-1 Malia (Hastings) 25-1 Marcel (Christchurch) 33-1 Lissel (Christchurch) 33-1 Makuini (Tauranga) 40-1 Clark (Auckland) 40-1 Teresa (Wellington) 50-1 Shelley (Pukekohe) 66-1 Kevin (Wellington) 66-1 Pip (Auckland) 101-1 Christine (Rotorua) 200-1 Katherine (Christchurch)

Log on to http://www.centrebet.com to view its latest odds.

ENDS

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