Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher

Visitors to Betonline.com now have more to bet on than just Sunday’s football game.

According to the current odds, Joe “The Plumber” Wurzelbacher has a 12 to 1 chance of running for president in 2012.

Wurzelbacher gained national prominence after criticizing then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s small business tax plan, and was then referenced by Republican candidate John McCain in a debate.

But while many believed Joe “The Plumber” would fade into obscurity, his Feb. 26 speech at the Consevative Political Action Conference led many to wonder if he is one of the voices that will shape the Republican party for years to come.

Other betting lines surrounding Wurzelbacher include: 3.5 to 1 odds that he will run for public office in 2009; 8 to 1 odds that he will win an elected seat in 2009; and 6 to 1 that he will be hired by any major television news network in 2009.

The site, which primarily features sports and racetrack betting along with casino gaming, began featuring “novelty” bets earlier this year.

“At the beginning of every week we have a discussion about what would make creative and unique odds,” Betonline.com spokesman T.J. Kendrick said.

Novelty odds have a bet cap, preventing users from wagering more than a few dollars on political events.

“We usually put a cap on [odds] is they are the novelty type because there are a number of different factors that could potentially change the outcome,” Kendricks said.

Another recent series of novelty bets to hit the site center around the political ambitions of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.

The most recent odds are 6 to 1 that Limbaugh will run for president in 2012, 1.2 to 1 that he will run for public office in 2009, and 1.7 to 1 that he will be elected to public office in 2009.

“Rush is quite frustrated with his party right now, and, while a small one, there is a chance he’ll take matters into his own hands and throw his hat into the ring,” Kendricks said.

Kendrick, who said the site has hundreds of thousands of registered users, said the site also features multiple bets surrounding the Obama Presidency.

One of the most popular Obama odds, is the bet on whether the president’s approval rating will be above or below 50 percent at the end of his first year.

“People are worried about the economy and whether or not the stimulus package is going to work, so the odds for his approval rating are very interesting,” Kendricks said.

As of March 17, the odds that Obama’s approval rate will be below 50 percent are dead even, while the odds that his approval rate will be above 50 percent is 1-1.3.

Another popular bet surrounds whether the U.S. will allow Obama to travel to Israel in 2009. Currently, the odds that Obama will travel to Israel are 1 to 3, while the odds that he won’t are 2.25 to 1.

Kendricks said that other novelty bets include reality television outcomes as well as financial outcomes. The majority of bets placed on betonline.com are on the odds of professional and college football games, coming from a broad range of users.

“We try to involve everyone, accross age groups,” Kendricks said. “We have a very broad range of users, from young to old.”

Popularity: 1% [?]