RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – These days you can bet on virtually anything and, you guessed it, people are continuing to bet on where Amazon might locate its HQ2 project nearly a year after the Internet giant disclosed the $5 billion plan and 50,000 jobs to go along with it.
While Amazon continues to remain quiet about where HQ2 is headed, the bettors don’t see the Triangle as a odds-on choice to win the project. And a recent post from Business Insider further discounts Raleigh-Durham as a possible winner.
According to betting site Bovada, Northern Virginia is the favorite followed by Washington, D.C. with odds scored at +240 and +350 respectively.
Raleigh (yes, Raleigh – even though Amazon has made clear it is considering the Triangle) comes in at No. 9 among the 20 declared finalists for the project.
Here’s the top 10 list with the associated odds:
- Northern Virginia, +240
- Washington, D.C., +350
- Austin, +400
- Boston, +450
- Toronto, +500
- Atlanta, +900
- Montgomery County, Maryland, +1,200
- Philadelphia, +2,000
- Raleigh (Triangle), +2,500
- Pittsburgh, +3,000
The rest of the 20:
- Chicago, +4,000
- Nashville, +4,000
- New York City, +4,500
- Denver, +5,000
- Dallas,+5,000
- Indianapolis, +5,000
- Columbus, +5,000
- Newark,+5,000
- Los Angeles, +6,000
- Miami,+7,500
Back in late May, Sports Betting Experts published similar odds:
- Northern Virginia: +350
- Atlanta: +400
- Toronto: +450
- Boston: +600
- Austin, TX: +700
- Montgomery County, MD: +1000
- Washington, DC: +1500
- Nashville: +1500
- Philadelphia: +1750
- Raleigh: +2100
- Pittsburgh: +2500
- Columbus: +2500
- Chicago: +2500
- Denver: +2500
- Newark: +5000
- Indianapolis: +5000
- New York: +7500
- Dallas: +7500
- Miami: +7500
- Los Angeles: +7500
More coverage:
- Report: Triangle ranks 6th for tech talent among HQ2 contenders, 4th for tech jobs
- Economist: Small biz owners’ attitude is good for Raleigh’s Amazon HQ2 bid
- MSNBC awards Raleigh only a B in Amazon HQ2 report card
Business Insider also likes the Washington, D.C. area.
“At Business Insider, we’ve long seen the evidence pointing to the DC area,” the news site says.
“With three locations in the DC area shortlisted for the new headquarters, it’s at least statistically most likely. Add to the fact that Amazon already has its public policy and lobbying positions in the city, the US capital seems like a shoo-in.”
Apple odds?
So what about odds on where Apple might build its promised new campus? (The Triangle is a prime contender, according to a wide variety of sources.)
No odds that The Skinny could find. But that hasn’t stopped speculation.
“Apple will be looking for a young, smart, technology-positive workforce unburdened by ultra-high local rents and wage expectations. Massachusetts? Georgia? Florida? Maybe. North Carolina? Yes,” VentureBeat speculated in March.
Economic recruiters and government officials have said from the beginning of Apple’s announcement in January that North Carolina had a better odds-on chance of winning Apple than Amazon.
But mum remains the word.
