How to Bet on the Election

Learning how to bet on the election takes about five minutes, and there’s never been a better time to start. The 2026 midterm elections land on Tuesday, November 3, with all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, and 36 governorships on the ballot, and control of Congress up for grabs.

The catch is that you can’t do it on DraftKings, FanDuel, or any other state-licensed sportsbook. Regulated apps aren’t allowed to take bets on elections, so even in states where sports betting is legal, there’s nothing on the board. That’s why American political bettors use offshore sportsbooks, which accept players from all 50 states and post odds on everything from Senate control to individual House races.

Below, we’ll show you the best election betting sites, how to sign up, and exactly how to place a bet on the midterms, using the race for Senate control as our example.

Best Election Betting Sites

To bet on the election, you need a sportsbook that posts political odds and accepts players from your state. These are our top three election betting sites, all of which offer fully functional mobile sites, so you can bet from your phone without downloading an app:

How to Bet on the Election Online

Election odds are already up, and they’ll move fast in the final days before November 3, so the best time to open your account is now.

Choose a sportsbook from our top three and click “claim now.” Fill in your details, create your login, and check out the welcome offer while you’re there, since many bonuses must be claimed with your first deposit.

Then fund your account through the cashier. Offshore books accept cards and crypto, and crypto is usually the fastest option for both deposits and withdrawals.

PRO TIP: You won’t find the election next to the NFL and NBA in the main menu at most sportsbooks. Look for “Politics” in the sports list, and if it’s not there, check under “Specials” or “Entertainment.”

How to Place a Bet on the Midterms

Once you’ve found the politics section, you’ll see the big midterm markets at the top, usually starting with which party controls the House and Senate. For this example, we’ve used the odds for control of the Senate at BetOnline:

Step 1: Read the Odds

Election odds work just like a moneyline in any other sport. The party with the minus sign is the favorite, and the party with the plus sign is the underdog. In our example:

• Democrats (-225): You’d bet $225 to win $100
• Republicans (+185): You’d bet $100 to win $185

So right now, the book has the Democrats as clear favorites to take the Senate, while a Republican hold would pay out nearly double your money. In a race where one side is a heavy favorite, like a safe seat, the gap gets even bigger, such as -1000 against +600, which means a small stake on the underdog could pay out big if there’s an upset.

Step 2: Add Your Pick to the Bet Slip

Click the odds next to the party you want to back, and it will be added to your bet slip. For example, clicking +185 next to the Republicans adds a bet on the Republicans to win control of the Senate.

Step 3: Enter Your Stake and Confirm

Type in how much you want to bet, and the bet slip will show your potential winnings. Check the market, the party, and the odds, then hit confirm.

A $100 bet on the Republicans at +185 would pay back $285 in total if they hold the Senate: $185 in winnings plus your $100 stake.

Other Election Betting Options

House and Senate control are the headline markets, but the best election betting sites go much deeper, including:

• Balance of power, such as Democrats winning the House while Republicans keep the Senate
• Individual Senate races in key states
• Governor races
• Individual House districts in battleground states

These let you bet on the races you know best, and they’re often where the real value is, since they get far less attention than the big markets.

When to Bet on the Election

Election odds move more than most people expect, so timing your bet can get you a better price.

• Weeks out: Early prices can be generous if you’ve got a strong read on a race before the rest of the market catches up.
• After big news: Polls, debates, and scandals can move a line in hours. If you like a candidate before the news breaks, you’ll get a better number than after.
• Election night: Many books offer live odds as results come in. Expect lines to move fast once the early states start reporting.

How Election Bets Get Paid Out

Election bets are settled once the result is official. Clear-cut races can pay out within a day or two, while close races may wait for recounts or certification before the book settles them. Every sportsbook has its own house rules on this, so it’s worth a quick look before you bet on a race that could go down to the wire.

Why Use Offshore Sites to Bet on the Election?

No state-licensed sportsbook in the country takes bets on elections. Even in states where sports betting is fully legal, like New York, Pennsylvania, and Arizona, the regulated apps can’t offer political odds, and some states ban election betting outright. And in big states like California and Texas, there’s no legal sports betting at all.

Offshore sportsbooks don’t work under those state rules, which is why they’ve been the home of American political betting for over two decades. They accept players from all 50 states and post the full political board. With prices varying from site to site, having more than one account also means you can shop around for the best number on every race.

Election Betting FAQs