Gore an 8-to-5 favorite to win U.S. presidency

Monday, March 13, 2000 | 11:26 a.m.

Las Vegas oddsmaker Jackie Dell has made Vice President Al Gore an 8-to-5 favorite to be the next president of the United States.

Dell, who this year is celebrating his 50th anniversary as a sports handicapper and has set odds on Las Vegas political campaigns and presidential races for the Sun for the past decade, has made Republican George W. Bush a 5-to-7 underdog.

This means a gambler betting on Democrat Gore would have to wager $800 to win $500. A $500 bet on Bush would win $700.

It is illegal to bet on political races in Nevada. Dell's lines are for entertainment purposes only.

Just because Gore is the favorite does not necessarily mean Dell thinks his election is a safe bet. At this point Bush may be the better bet because he is an underdog who has a good price and a good chance to win, Dell said.

"Personally, I think Gore will win because the economy is the best it has been in a long time and people will stick with the Democrats," Dell said. "But it's early and anything can happen.

"I believe you have to go with the candidate who you think will carry California, New York and Ohio. I believe Gore will win those key states."

Dell also is making former Rep. John Ensign, a Republican, a prohibitive 10-to-1 favorite to win the U.S. Senate seat for Nevada in his race against local Democrat attorney Ed Bernstein, whom he makes a 1-to-7 underdog.

Dell is making incumbent Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., a 6-to-1 favorite to defeat Republican state Sen. Jon Porter, whom he makes a 1-to-4 underdog.

In 1992, when the presidential race between George Bush, George W. Bush's father, and Bill Clinton was in doubt, Dell gained national recognition for making Clinton a 3-to-1 favorite to beat Bush, a 1-to-2 underdog.

In 1988 Dell was honored in the Congressional Record when a member of the House praised him for his skill at picking winners in both sports and political races. The report reads in part that Dell "has played an instrumental role in political races ... Jackie Dell ranks as one of the premier oddsmakers in the country."

Dell, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, started posting his first sports lines in 1950, when he was 20. His specialty is setting lines in college basketball.

His selections have appeared in Sun football betting columnist Sal DeFilippo's column for the past several years.

Ed Koch is a reporter for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4090 or by e-mail at koch@lasvegassun.com.