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Election Odds: Betfair calls California 2 ½ hours before CNN

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Betfair punters get their politics betting right as Super Tuesday unfolded...

Betfair punters proved once again that they are one of the best election predictors in the business by making Democrat Hillary Clinton favourite to take the key California Primary on Super Tuesday - over two hours before the American media.

The California Primary contested by Clinton and Barack Obama was expected to be one of the most keenly fought battles in the race to become the Democrats' Presidential nomination, and so it proved.

After the two candidates swapped favouritism five times on Betfair's California Democratic Primary market on Monday, Obama took a clear lead which strengthened when Georgia came out strongly in his favour at midnight GMT.

However, news from Oklahoma and the east coast states was more encouraging for Clinton backers who made a charge shortly after 0100 GMT, moving from 33 percent at 0100 to 49 percent by 0121.

...and when reports indicated Massachusetts and New Jersey were both going Hillary's way, California was a done deal as far as Betfair's market was concerned. She surged ahead at 0300 GMT - a lead she never relinquished. CNN - the first major American news channel to declare the Golden State in favour of Clinton - didn't manage it until 0526.