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Punters dropping big bucks on Coalition win after Labor’s horror week

The Coalition is now the favourite to win the upcoming election after Labor leader Anthony Albanese suffered a week which campaign insiders have reportedly called a “write-off”.

Scott Morrison ‘seeks to show up Anthony Albanese's economic knowledge’

The Coalition is now the favourite to win the upcoming election with gambling house SportBet after Labor leader Anthony Albanese suffered a week which campaign insiders have reportedly called a “write-off”.

According to Sportsbet, since the start of the campaign bets on Scott Morrison’s re-election have come in from $3.05 to favourites on $1.85, with some customers already laying down as much as $10,000 or $20,000 on the outcome.

Meanwile, Labor started as favourites on $1.50 and have now stretched out to $1.90.

“The bigger punters don’t usually come in until closer to the date,” said a spokesman for Sportsbet, who also noted that a voter drift away from Labor in one major poll published overnight Sunday caused a further surge of interest in the Coalition.

Some 77 per cent of money now being put down on next month’s federal election is coming in for a Coalition win, the spokesman said.

Scott Morrison visits Austral Ships in the seat of Fremantle, WA today. Photo: James Brickwood
Scott Morrison visits Austral Ships in the seat of Fremantle, WA today. Photo: James Brickwood

Punters have also begun to put money on the possibility of a hung parliament, with odds coming in from $3.75 to $2.50.

However in what should be consoling news for Labor supporters, polls don’t always get it right.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese at Bluesfest in Byron Bay, on day 6 of the federal election campaign. Picture: Toby Zerna
Labor leader Anthony Albanese at Bluesfest in Byron Bay, on day 6 of the federal election campaign. Picture: Toby Zerna

In 2019, odds of a Labor victory had come in to as short as $1.13 before the betting agency paid out two days early on a Shorten win, only to have Scott Morrison stage a miracle comeback.

In 2016, a late surge of money for the Coalition – which would retain a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives after a long and lacklustre campaign led by Malcolm Turnbull – brought the odds of re-election in to just $1.07.

Shortly before polling day one customer dropped $250,000 on the Coalition to win at $1.12, with the now-defunct Luxbet agency, believed to be one of the largest bets ever made on an election.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/federal-election/punters-dropping-big-bucks-on-coalition-win-after-labors-horror-week/news-story/c6410fdad90629bfe7ab1a40e9c40147