http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/mar...day-537712824/

DUBLIN, Jan. 16, 2009 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) ----To mark the inauguration of Barack Obama as the forty-fourth President of the United States of America, Irish bookmaking chain Paddy Power are offering a wide range of Obama themed betting opportunities.

With an expected domestic TV audience in excess of 50-million, customers of Paddy Power can place bets on the duration of President Obama's speech, what "cliche" he will first mention during his address, the actual number of viewers that tune in and whether the TV audience will exceed that of Superbowl XLIII.

Other Obama bets on offer from Paddy Power include which country (after Canada) Obama will first officially visit as President of the United States, his first year approval ratings and how many Oscar winners will mention Obama in their acceptance speech!

Paddy Power famously paid out over EUR 1,000,000 on Barack Obama winning the 2008 Presidential race a full 10-days before polling day last year. Already President Obama is the bookmaker's odds-on 4-5 favourite to win in 2012 which gives him a 56% of success.
US Presidential Election 2012 - Winning Candidate (Next President)

4/5 Barack Obama
7/1 Sarah Palin
10/1 Hillary Clinton
11/1 Mitt Romney
14/1 Mike Huckabee
16/1 Joe Biden
20/1 Jon Huntsman
25/1 Bobby Jindal
33/1 Fred Thompson
33/1 Bill Owens
40/1 Evan Bayh
40/1 Rudolph Giuliani
40/1 Jeb Bush
40/1 Lindsey Graham
40/1 David Petraeus
50/1 Tom Ridge
50/1 Ron Paul
66/1 John McCain
66/1 Al Gore