The contest to become presidential candidate is becoming tenser as ‘Super Tuesday’ looms this week when 24 states vote for their choice of both Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. Political betting sites are buzzing under the weight of wagers in what has become the sort of fascinating contest that only happens every twenty years or so.

The reasons for this are many. People are weary of the incumbent administration and there is a sniff of radical change in the air. This lends an air of confidence to the Democrats but times are hard in America and the world in general and people usually turn to the Right when they want tough decisions made. At the same time, there is the difficult-to-resist offer of a black man or a woman as potential President – something new to Americans. Many will be fascinated to see what such a change might bring.

Furthermore, the battle between the black man, Barack Obama and the woman, Hilary Clinton has become an intriguing one for betting punters. Prejudice, both racial and gender, abounds in America and each candidate has had to transcend this by presenting themselves as especially remarkable candidates. This has not been impossible because the American Dream encourages and wants people to be remarkable and to transcend difficulties. Online betting fans will have a field day in considering all these factors before making their choice.

The contest has boiled down, realistically, to four hopefuls with Obama and Clinton in the Democratic camp and Romney and McCain for the Republicans. It’s been an up and down ride for Obama and Clinton, with Hilary currently the bookies favourite at around 4/7. Obama is around 5/4 but a good speech or a bad mistake either way and these odds could easily change. McCain is serious Republican favourite at 1/8 with Romney 9/2. It’s hard to see McCain slipping from this position and the more interesting bet has to be with the Democrats.