Betfair voids its London Mayoral 2020 market following the election’s deferral until next year
If you have placed any Betfair bets on its London mayoral election
Sometimes when a market is voided it can be unfortunate for punters who have had the foresight to back someone early on and then to see their choice rise and rise in the betting as things like new opinion polls get published. They will get no benefit of the better odds that were being offered when they made their wager.
On the other hand people like me who had a the odd bet on candidates other than Khan have got their stakes refunded which is a bit of a bonus given the way that the race has gone and the polling now making Khan totally dominant.
My assumption was that bets would simply be rolled over till next year but, of course, the market was described as the London Mayoral Election 2020. That simply is not going to happen and I think that Betfair have probably made a right call in closing this market down and opening a new one.
Since the London mayoralty came into being 20 years ago this has been a lively betting market but this year there has seen far less coverage in the media and far less punter interest.
Will the same trends hold for 2021? Probably but I wouldn’t bet on it.