Kanye West Praises Hitler, Oddsmakers Still Think Ye Has Shot at US Presidency

Posted on: December 2, 2022, 12:41h. 

Last updated on: December 2, 2022, 10:43h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Kanye West, the controversial rapper and former husband to Kim Kardashian who now goes by simply “Ye,” is seemingly suffering a mental breakdown or serious psychological illness. Things went from bad to worse on Thursday, as the nonsensical celebrity made his most antisemitic comments to date.

In October, West lost his spot on Forbes’ list of billionaires after Adidas terminated its branding partnership with the rapper. That’s after he made a series of antisemitic comments. Forbes slashed Ye’s net worth from north of $1.9 billion to $400 million.

Despite the financial backlash, West only doubled down on his prejudice against Jewish people during an interview on Thursday with right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his Infowars website.

I see good things about Hitler,” West told Jones during the interview, which included Holocaust denier, Nick Fuentes. “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler.”

When Jones continued the conversation by declaring that the Nazis were thugs, West interjected, “But they did good things, too. We have to stop dissing Nazis all the time. I liked Hitler.”

2024 Odds Seemingly Short

Legal betting on political outcomes in the US is limited to peer-to-peer wagering exchanges like PredictIt and Smarkets. But in the UK and throughout much of Europe, placing a political wager is a cherished pastime.

But along with the candidates who have a legitimate chance, UK oddsmakers have traditionally included long odds on the unlikeliest of folks. And for the 2024 US presidency, West is among the list of silly bets being offered.

The surprising part, however, is that West’s 2024 odds aren’t that long. Leading betting house William Hill has Kanye at just 250/1 (+25,000) to become POTUS come January 2025.

Though that line gives Kanye only a 0.4% implied chance of winning come 2024, the line should likely be considerably longer, given his recent bouts of antisemitism.

Funny Lines Not So Funny Anymore

UK oddsmakers were once notorious for offering lines on unlikely candidates like West, as well as on random novelties like whether U2’s Bono would become the next pope. Those Bono odds in 2017 were 1000/1.

The funny business was a bookmaking pillar overseas for many decades, but it’s slowed considerably in recent years.

UK bookies took much money from bettors who plopped down a quid on the unlikeliest of political long shots for years. But Trump’s victory in 2016 changed everything.

Trump, who fielded an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2000, wasn’t considered a serious candidate among the political elite when he entered the 2016 race. When the former casino magnate announced his intentions to seek the White House in 2015, oddsmakers gave him a less than 1% chance.

That long line ended up costing the books handsomely after Trump edged Hillary Clinton the following November. Six years later, UK oddsmakers haven’t forgotten the costly reality of an extraordinary long shot winning.

And that’s presumably why West is at only 250/1 to win in 2024 instead of a more realistic line in the neighborhood of several million to one.