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Press releases

Press Release

Tuesday 4 November 2008

The Political Punter

Harriman House

Political Punter hopeful for 50/1 Obama win

"As well as the benefit to my bank account of, hopefully, picking up a wad of money there is another dimension as well. For anyone can have opinions about what will happen in an election - the political gambler has backed that up with hard cash, which adds enormously to the pleasure when you get it right. One of the reasons I wrote the book was to provide a guide for those who are confident about their political forecasting skills, but want some advice on the increasingly complex world of betting. Judging by the response and emails I have received, the book has succeeded."
Mike Smithson (October 2008)

Back in 2005, a blogger tipped Barack Obama to win the 2008 Presidential Elections - when the betting odds were an impressive 50/1. Three years on, and Mike Smithson could be picking up a tidy profit if the Democratic candidate is elected.

On May 26th 2005, Smithson wrote:

"Thinking forward just two and a half years you can see what a hurdle the Iowa caucuses in January 2008 are going to be for Hillary. The nature of this process and the way people get together and discuss the options saw off the favourite, Howard Dean last year and might be the context that is good for a charismatic contender like Barack."

The forecast was also mentioned in his 2007 book The Political Punter, which took a detailed look at the world of political gambling. From the basics of how and where to gamble to the characteristics of the main markets and the forms of betting available.

For those who already bet on political matters, the book includes a number of case histories where it is hoped that the lessons of the past might be helpful for the future. For non-gamblers with a keen interest in politics the book will provide enough background to allow you to dabble a bit and to get a better feel about possible political outcomes by understanding how those who are backing their opinions with cash are actually thinking.

Covering everything from the basic mechanics of the betting process, through the critical decision making processes required to make those bets and the best places to look for information -?this is a must-read for anyone wanting to take a punt on politics.

Ends

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Smithson is is the founder of the highly regarded blog, www.politicalbetting.com. For 13 years, he was a journalist with BBC News, and was part of the team in the mid-1970s that handled the first Broadcasting of Parliament experiment.

Mike was a founder member of the Liberal Democrats and stood for Parliament at the 1992 General Election. For the last fifteen years, he has worked as a university fundraiser and was the Director of Development at the LSE, Cambridge, and Oxford universities, as well as the University of York.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

More details can be found online at: www.harriman-house.com/politicalpunter

For further information on this book or its author, please contact Helen McCusker in the PR department at Harriman House:

Tel: +44 (0)1730 233885
Email: pr@harriman-house.com

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The Political Punter

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