The 2020 US Elections, which pits president Donald Trump against Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden, enters the final lap, and the betting hots up as the pair jockey for favour with sports betting shops. As it stands, it a right tossup with the pair practically neck-and-neck on political odds boards.

With less than two months to go until Americans take to the polls to vote for the 46th president of the United States, the battle between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is only just getting off the ground.

Conventions are in the rear-view mirror, but televised presidential debates are on the horizon – although they’re already causing quite the dramatic stir with both candidates taking jabs. Biden is demanding fact-checking on the spot, while Trump is demanding Biden take a drugs test beforehand just to rule out the use of any performance enhancements.

In recent weeks, Trump has arrived at a positive juncture in the race to the White House, having turned things around to his advantage in the betting. In remarkable fashion, no less. Somehow, despite all the backlash over the series of national crises to hit America, constant negative press and poor public polling numbers, Trump has put himself back firmly in the race – as far as the betting goes.

For the better part of the summer months, the former two-time vice president Joe Biden basked in the glow of favour, which he gained in early June, largely on the back of Black Lives Matter protests. It marked the first time in the election cycle that Biden had not only gained a lead over Trump but also maintained it in the race to the White House. And that lead continued to swell until August.

At the height of the civil unrest that gripped the nation, the public mood was distinctly anti-Trump for what was deemed as a tone-deaf response to the civil unrest. The Trump administration as a whole was met with heavy criticism from various factions, exacerbated by all the condemnation already levied at Trump over the course of the coronavirus pandemic

By mid-summer, Biden had gained a substantial lead in the betting odds. So much so, that Trump’s prospects of retaining his seat in the Oval Office began to look dire, indeed. By early August, Trump had the worst odds for the re-election of any sitting President in the history of betting on US elections. Defeat to Joe Biden was looking increasingly likely.

Recent weeks though have seen a distinct trend in the betting towards the incumbent, with Trump closing the gap on Joe Biden. The happenstance coincided with the appointment of California Senator Kamala Harris as the Democratic vice-president nominee, as well as the fortnight of party conventions.

According to betting industry insiders, the Republican National Convention had the biggest impact on the presidential odds. The unprecedented virtual format of the convention didn’t stop the Trump administration from pulling out all the stops. Over the course of the four-day event truncated for television, Trump and his team delivered a razzle-dazzle show that culminated in a 70-minute speech on the lawns of the White House before an operatic show and splendid fireworks display rounded out the program.

By contrast, the Democratic National Convention played it safe to the detriment of Biden’s odds, which didn’t receive even a whiff of a boost at its conclusion.

For Trump, the improvement to his odds for re-election comes at the perfect time. Right as the 2020 US Elections enter the final turn in the presidential race. At some sports betting outlets, the improvement in his odds is so significant that he overtakes Biden in favour.

However, Trump’s renewed favouritism isn’t uniformly expressed with all sportsbooks. While some have Trump in the lead others have Biden tipped as the favourite. Then there are those that are taking a coy stance, pricing both just a hair-breadth’s apart in the betting.

Whether the current outlook holds true or proves to be short-lived, remains to be seen. Political betting markets are fluid and ever-changing, reacting to the flow of betting coming down the wire. There’s still a way to go before the November elections, and a lot in play.

Anything is possible in what is shaping up to be a fascinating election race, underpinned by the most extraordinary and unprecedented confluence of a series of crises in modern history to occur in one year over.