Friendly political wager
Friendly political wagers are mostly symbolic bets between politicians from two cities or regions about the outcome of a game between teams from those places. They are common in the United States and Canada and often tied to playoffs in the NHL, NFL, MLB, or the Olympic Games. While they are technically gambling, leagues and regulators usually view them as harmless publicity stunts and expressions of regional pride.
Most wagers are for symbolic value or a small food prize. For example, in the 2009–10 NFL playoffs, two such bets were made. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, U.S. President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper bet a case of beer on the men’s ice hockey gold-medal game. Obama sent Harper a case of Molson Canadian and a case of Yuengling lager. Similar bets happen elsewhere, sometimes not about sports. German Green politician Joschka Fischer was known for betting wine on election outcomes. In October 2011, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key made two bets: one on the NRL grand final requiring a press conference in front of the other country’s flag, and another on the Rugby World Cup semi-final requiring the loser to eat an apple from the other country and praise it. Key lost the NRL bet, and Gillard lost the Rugby World Cup bet.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:21 (CET).