American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Surprised by the Parimutuel Odds?
American Economic Review
vol. 99,
no. 5, December 2009
(pp. 2129–34)
Abstract
Empirical analyses of parimutuel betting markets have documented that market probabilities of favorites (longshots) tend to underestimate (overestimate) the corresponding empirical probabilities. We argue that this favorite-longshot bias is consistent with bettors taking simultaneous positions on the basis of private information about the likelihood of different outcomes. The ex post realization of a high market probability indicates favorable information about the occurrence of an outcome -- and the opposite is true for longshots. This explanation for the bias relies on the bettors' inability to incorporate the surprise revealed by the final odds. (JEL D81, D82, L83)Citation
Ottaviani, Marco, and Peter Norman Sørensen. 2009. "Surprised by the Parimutuel Odds?" American Economic Review, 99 (5): 2129–34. DOI: 10.1257/aer.99.5.2129JEL Classification
- D81 Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
- D82 Asymmetric and Private Information
- L83 Sports; Gambling; Recreation; Tourism