Are folks gambling like crazy on Trump? Bet on it – USA TODAY

Great Britain is betting big money on a multitude of presidential odds. USA TODAY

President Trump addresses the annual National Republican Congressional Committee dinner in Washington on March 21.(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

LONDON Will Donald Trump be impeached? Will he build his wall? Will he commission his face added to Mount Rushmore?

Those are some of the bets gamblers in Britain and Ireland are making about the new U.S. president. They are so fascinated about him, in fact, that one of the largest betting companieshere is hiring a full-time bookmaker just to handle the crush of Trump wagers.

"Anything to do with Trump getsinterest, from the serious and realistic such as the chance he might be impeached to ridiculous things such as the likelihood the White House will be painted gold or that Trump could donate California to Russia," said Lee Price, a representative for Dublin-based Paddy Power Betfair.

An ad for a full-time Trump bookmaker was posted last week, andhundreds of applicants have applied for the job, Price said.

The firm hasdevoteda whole section of its website to Trump betting "specials." It offers odds of 3-1 that Trump will be impeached this year, 100-1 that hewill commission his face to be added to Mount Rushmore,25-1 thatMexico will fund the construction of a wall that Trump wants to build along the southern border, and7-1 that theFBI willconfirm collusion between Trump associatesand Russiato influencethe 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The company wouldn't disclose how much money has been placed on Trump wagers overall but said Trump was the company's top "novelty market" last year, and that tens of thousands of Trump bets have been placed worth several million dollars. TheaverageTrump-relatedbet was $25.

Pricesaid Paddy Power Betfair paid out more than $5 million to customers as a result of Trump's upsetvictory over Hillary Clinton. Trump bets are 50 times more popular than bets on Barack Obama at the start of his presidency.

Most of Paddy Power Betfair's business involvesbets on sports, such as soccer and rugby, but it also offers wagers on politics, entertainmentand special events. Rival British gambling firms such as Ladbrokes and William Hill also offer Trump-related bets.

"Sometimes, believe it or not,these (unusual bets) materialize into profit," said Mark Griffiths, an expert on gambling and behavioral addiction at Nottingham Trent University.

Richard Rowbotham, 44, a musician from London, said he won more than $6,800 at Paddy Power by betting thatTrump would win the GOP nomination andon Trumpbecoming president.

Ive never been a gambler but Im interested in politics. Paddy Power has opened up a whole new market,"Rowbotham said.

One gambler, however, isn't taking the Trump bait."I dont think so," said Desmond Pellini, 70, when asked outside a London bet shopif he would place a wager on Trump. "I prefer to bet on horses."

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Hjelmgaard reported from Berlin.

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Are folks gambling like crazy on Trump? Bet on it - USA TODAY