Eric Uribe
In cities across the United States, mayor seats were up for grabs. Most have been decided by now, but one remains on the ticket in Atlanta. A winner will be decided on November 30 so if you’re going to make betting predictions for 2021 Atlanta mayor elections, it’s about time to do so. If you need help, we’re breaking down the race in this article before offering our own pick.
And for those asking, yes, you can gamble on politics nowadays! Many online betting sites for politics have sprung up lately and carry betting lines for the latest political competitions, including the one in Atlanta. Below you’ll see the current odds to become Atlanta’s next mayor:
| Candidate |  |  |
| Felicia Moore | -225 | -225 |
| Andre Dickens | +160 | +160 |
As you can see, Moore is the betting favorite, but not by an overwhelming amount. Oddsmakers and political pundits all seem to believe it’ll be a close tally — and we agree. With that said, here’s what you need to know before election night and before placing a wager:
2021 Atlanta Mayoral Election Preview
Before we give you free betting advice, let’s first preview the 2021 Atlanta mayoral election. Understanding what’s going on in the first place will help us make a more informed choice when wagering.
The first thing is first, this isn’t an “ordinary” election or situation. By any means. Instead, it’s a “run-off.” For those unfamiliar with American politics, a runoff pretty much means an entirely second round of voting even. The first round of voting was back on November 4 and the results shocked many far and wide.
Shocking because Kasim Reed failed to finish top-two, which keeps him out of this runoff. Reed was a two-time mayor of the city, winning elections in 2009 and 2013. Reed, a Democrat, secured 22.4 percent of the first vote — narrowly being beaten out by the second-place finisher who scored 23 percent of the ballot (the difference in votes between the two was about 600).
That second-place finisher was Andre Dickens. He is a City of Atlanta council member and entrepreneur in the area. Though, Dickens finished far behind the top vote-getter back then, Felicia Moore, who racked up 40.8 percent of all votes. That hefty win is likely why Moore — who is also City Council President — is the unquestioned betting favorite in the runoff against Dickens among the best-rated sportsbooks for politics and other bets.
Runoffs are becoming a “thing” in Georgia state politics. Political junkies will remember a position in the Senate was also decided by a runoff back then — but not just any Senate seat, one that would decide which political party would control the whole senate. It was eventually won by a Democrat, which effectively shifted the power to the blue side until 2022. Less will be at stake in the November 30 runoff between Moore and Dickens, but hey, bettors can change that with a good-sized bet on it!
2021 Atlanta Mayor Betting Pick
A debate between Moore and Dickens went off with a bang on November 16. While there are certain issues the two politicians agree on — expanding the city police force and funneling more money into Atlanta’s affordable housing bond — the differences in opinion will better help us make a 2021 Atlanta mayor betting pick.
Dickens attacked Moore’s past actions which include voting against adding body cameras to the police, not releasing her taxes, and allegedly, not condemning support from a “racist” individual. It makes sense that Dickens went on the offensive. After all, more than 17,000 votes separated Moore and Dickens in the earlier vote. If Dickens is going to win this, he’ll need to grab voters who originally sided with Reed.
Moore downplayed all those accusations before calling Dickens “an opportunist” for jumping into the race once the incumbent Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms dropped out in May — which if we’re being honest, is a fair critique. That’s our biggest worry with Dickens. He just has too much ground to make up for. It’s too little, too late as far as we’re concerned, which is why MyTopSportsbooks is backing Moore with a bet here. Wager on her now before that -225 line swells up even more.
How To Bet On US Politics?
For better or worse, politics are starting to feel like a lot like sports — the “rival” teams, the biased fan bases, the trash talk, and the decisive “game” to decide who wins. This is one of the reasons why political betting has exploded in popularity since 2016 (which not coincidentally, aligns with when Donald Trump first entered the political space). Speaking of Trump, you can bet on his chances to win the Presidential ticket come 2024 at one of the sportsbooks listed underneath.
Most political gambling centers around futures and props betting. Bets on who wins what election or by what margin is commonplace. Though, these bets don’t just center on US affairs. You’ll also find lines on elections held elsewhere around the world. The bookmakers below will have a special section dedicated to political bets on-site.
Last thing before we let you go: if you’ve never bet at one of these sites, you could earn a sign-up bonus worth hundreds to thousands of dollars. The deals are real and they can be used to bet on politics using “house money” per se. Reference the table underneath to see what’s on the table right now.
