THE champagne corks may still be popping following Barack Obama's stunning US election victory, but that isn't stopping Britain's bookies offering odds already on the outcome of the 2012 contest.
William Hill, which claims a record £10 million was
gambled during this year's election, has already installed Obama as even-money favourite to win again.
Meanwhile, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power – an increasingly familiar face on these shores – has the fresh-faced president-elect as 4-5 favourite for successful re-election in 2012.
Those punters of a more reckless bent may want to consider what events will happen first under President Obama.
Paddy Power is offering 6-1 on the capture or death of Osama bin Laden, 12-1 on the legalisation of marijuana nationally, 500-1 for the discovery of aliens on Mars and 1,000-1 if Elvis is found in the basement of the White House.
When it comes to the question of which country Obama will visit first as leader of the free world, the same firm is offering 3-1 on the UK, 10-3 on France and 4-1 for Afghanistan. Gamblers may be disappointed to discover that Scotland doesn't feature on the list – an omission even more galling in light of claims that Obama has Scots blood in his veins.
FACT OF THE DAY
1,000UK DRUGMAKER GlaxoSmithKline is restructuring its US operations, starting with reducing its sales force by 1,000.
The firm will also switch from having dual US headquarters, in Philadelphia and North Carolina, to operating just the North Carolina HQ.
GSK has about 8,500 US sales representatives. Workers losing jobs are being told this week and will be out of work by year's end.
KILLER QUOTE"AT PRESENT we're experiencing the calm before the storm. Unfortunately, the ripples of recession will spread across the whole economy over the coming weeks and months."
Graeme Leach, chief economist to the Institute of Directors.
GOOD DAY
Video games makers VIDEO games are expected to out-sell music and other video products this year for the first time, making them the UK's number one form of entertainment, according to new industry research. Verdict Research forecast the video games market would grow by 42 per cent in 2008.
BAD DAY
Delta passengersDELTA, the airline giant, is to impose a $15 fee to check a first bag for customers flying within the US. A fee of $25 will be charged for the second checked bag when travelling domestically. However, other fees are being cut following Delta's takeover of Northwest.
