Prague, July 30 (CTK) – The Czech betting companies Tipsport and Fortuna consider Jiri Drahos, former head of the Academy of Sciences, the favourite of the direct presidential election that will be held in six months, while in mid-June the odds still preferred incumbent President Milos Zeman to Drahos.
On Sunday, Tipsport accepted bets that Drahos would be elected president with odds of 2.1-1, while a bet on Zeman’s re-election was accepted with the odds of 3.3-1. Fortuna offered similar bets: 2.15-1 on Drahos and 3.2-1 on Zeman.
On June 14, the bookmakers accepted bets on Drahos with the odds of 2.4-1 and 2.5-1. Zeman was still considered the favourite, with 2.1-1 and 2.2-1.
On March 10, betting odds of Zeman’s re-election were 1.6-1.
Tipsport spokesman Jiri Hadrava told CTK that the total sum wagered on Zeman is the highest among the presidential candidates, about three million crowns.
Fortuna spokesman Petr Srain said about 40 percent of the money were bets on Zeman and 30 percent bets on Drahos.
Chance betting company has registered three times more bets on Zeman than on Drahos, its spokeswoman Marketa Svetlikova said. On the other hand, Sazka Bet spokesman Vaclav Friedmann said more people wagered on Drahos than Zeman.
Srain said there seem to be fewer bets on Zeman lately.
“The bookmakers must also take into account speculation about Zeman’s health condition. The possibility that he might withdraw his candidacy for some reason must still be considered,” Srain said.
The third most promising candidate is former entrepreneur Michal Horacek, with odds of 5.5-1. By coincidence, Horacek is one of the founders and former owners of the Fortuna betting company.
It is noteworthy that another candidate who seems to have a realistic chance is Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO) who does not officially run for the post. On Sunday, bets on his presidency were accepted with the odds of 8-1 and 10-1 by Tipsport and Fortuna, respectively.
Havrada said the ANO movement is the clear favourite of the October general election and Stropnicky is the second most popular politician in the country. If Stropnicky decides to run for president, he will be a strong rival for Drahos, Zeman and Horacek, Hadrava said.
Srain said there is a group of betters who try to wager on a miracle. Nearly 100,000 crowns was wagered on Czech ice hockey star Jaromir Jagr. If Jagr became president, these people would win almost 40 million crowns, Srain said.
The highest bet on a presidential candidate was accepted by Fortuna: a man wagered 100,000 crowns on Zeman with the odds of 1.6-1.
In total, Tipsport accepted bets on the Czech presidential election worth about six million crowns. In Fortuna it was five million crowns and in Chance one million crowns.
In connection with the previous presidential election in 2013, people wagered 50 million crowns. The betting companies expect the sum to be much higher this time.
