WASHINGTON -- Not too long ago, a dollar bet on businessman Donald Trump once would have returned $100 if he won the Republican presidential nomination. Now, the odds are 8 to 1.
Trump's surge in opinion polls has made him more popular among bettors overseas wagering on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election.
"Donald Trump has got to be taken seriously," said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill, a London-based gambling site whose name adorns the sports book at Monmouth Park in Oceanport and the sponsor of the William Hill Haskell Invitational at the track on Aug. 2.
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Gov. Chris Christie's odds have also improved, but not as dramatically as Trump's.
The Real Clear Politics average of national polls from July 9-25 put Trump in first place with 18.2 percent, followed by Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 13.7 percent and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 11.7 percent. Christie was ninth with 3 percent. The top 10 candidates as determined by opinion polls will be invited to the main Fox News debate Aug. 6.
At 8 to 1, Trump had the fourth smallest odds at the betting site. Bush led with odds of 11 to 8, while Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio both were at 7 to 2.
Christie was in ninth place with odds of 28 to 1. That's basically where he was a month ago as he prepared to formally announce his candidacy.
Trump also was in fourth place at Paddy Power, Ireland's largest bookmaker, at the same 8 to 1 odds. Bush led at 7 to 5, followed by Rubio at 7 to 2, and Walker at 7 to 5. Christie was in seventh place at 16 to 1, an improvement over last month when his odds were 22 to 1 on the site.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.