Betting Stays Open on UK Election Outcome

The United Kingdom has held its general election for 2010, and the electorate is still none the wiser as to who will form government.

And while that may be bad news for democracy and for the national interest, it certainly isn't bad news punters, who get another chance at predicting just who will end up in 10 Downing Street.

First, the coalition

Last thing's first, and William Hill asks its punters: Will the coalition last?

At Will Hill, punters can bet on whether one year from now, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats coalition government will last. 4/9 odds for 'No', and 13/8 for 'Yes'. Do you feel optimistic?

Leadership questions

Not surprisingly, the Ladbrokes favorite to form the next government is a Conservative/Liberal Democrats coalition, given that the Tories won the most seats, with a total of 305 from a possible 650.

The next most likely scenario is a Conservative minority government, at 5/1, although that scenario probably means that Brits would be heading back to the polls quite soon.

Finally, 8/1 odds are being offered on talks between David Cameron and Nick Clegg failing, and the Liberal Democrats opting to form government with the Labour Party instead.

Now that Gordon Brown has announced his intention to stand down as Labour leader, he is no longer an outright second favorite to be prime minister on June 6. With David Cameron well ahead at odds of 1/7, Brown sits equal second in the odds with his current secretary for foreign affairs, David Miliband.

Nick Clegg is way back equal fifth position, at 25/1.

And with the possibility of a minority government looming, the odds of another election taking place in 2010 have firmed to 7/4. A 2011 election is also carrying odds of 7/4.