Politicalbetting.com is one of Britain's most popular[citation needed] political blogs. Run by Mike Smithson, a former BBC journalist, Liberal Democrat councillor and general election candidate, the site began in March 2004.
Unlike most other British political blogs, politicalbetting is non-partisan, although Smithson himself is a Liberal Democrat. As the site's name suggests, the focus is on political betting opportunities, but the focus is rather broader, in the sense that political issues of the day have an impact on the various betting markets. The site has a particular focus on opinion polls, and in general is more concerned with the technical aspects of politics than most other blogs.
The site has attracted a large number of commenters, with up to three posts a day (mostly written by Smithson) typically seeing several hundred commenters, many of whom have no interest or knowledge of political betting but follow the site for its coverage of the fortunes and likely electoral success of political parties in Britain. On an average day the volume of comments exceeds 30,000 words[citation needed]. Commenters include MPs Nick Palmer, John Hemming and Stewart Jackson. The site sticks almost entirely to British and American politics, with an occasional mention of Australian elections, and major elections in other European countries.
The success of the site has led Smithson to publish a book, The Political Punter, a guide to betting on politics.
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