Nevada Bill Would Legalize Betting on Elections

Nate Silver is about to make a bunch of money if Tick Segerblom gets his way. The Nevada state senator introduced a bill this week that would legalize gambling on federal elections, Fox News reports. While that's not legal anywhere in the country right now, Segerblom notes that it's legal in many other countries. "They bet on our elections in England. They spend millions of dollars on the presidential elections," says Segerblom, who represents—where else?—Las Vegas.

"We're basically competing against the world, and I think we need to start looking beyond what we've done," Segerblom says. Gambling experts doubt political betting would be the money-maker that sports betting is, "but we're seeing more and more people interested in having a punt on a wide range of topics," says Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, which takes bets on US races. Others worry it'll tarnish the election process. "I suppose it's legal," says one professor, "but it's also tawdry." (More Tick Segerblom stories.)