The ‘will he-won’t he’ mystery over mayor Darryn Lyons and a tilt at federal politics have firmed in the eyes of a sports betting agency.
Cr Lyons looked set to toss his Mohawk in the ring and contest the Federal seat of Corio at the next Federal Election, according to Sportsbet.com.au
Sportsbet had the flamboyant mayor priced at $1.75 to run in Corio and offered odds of $2.60 for him to win the seat from Labor’s Richard Marles.
Mr Marles was priced at $1.01 to retain his seat, but Sportbet said his price would drift to $1.45 if Lyons entered the fray.
The agency said that if Cr Lyons did run, it would be as an Independent, pricing the likelihood at $1.10.
If he went down the party route, Sportsbet offered odds of $6 for him to run for the Liberal Party and a long $21 to run for the Greens.
It wasn’t a case of Canberra or bust for Cr Lyons, with the online bookie pricing him at a short $1.15 to be re-elected Geelong’s mayor later this year.
Those odds were more likely than the $34 on offer for him to become a Federal minister and the $251 available if he becomes Prime Minister by 2019.
“The fake abs, mohawk and controversial stunts have solidified Lyon’s position as Geelong’s highest profile politician and he looks set to capitalise on this profile in a bid to secure a federal seat,” sportsbet.com.au’s Ben Bulmer said.
“Richard Marles remains the favourite but we expect Lyons to push him to the wire if he decides to run.
“(It) will be interesting to see which way he goes. The lure of Federal Parliament must be significant, but he has a pretty good gig down there at the moment and I can’t see him losing his position as mayor at the next election.”
Markets courtesy of sportsbet.com.au
Will Darryn Lyons run for the seat of Corio?
$1.75 Yes
$2.00 No
Corio (if Lyons runs for parliament)
$1.45 Labor – Richard Marles (out from $1.01)
$2.60 Independent – Darryn Lyons
$21 Greens
$26 Coalition
Who will Darryn Lyons run for?
$1.10 Independent
$6.00 Liberal
$21 Green
$101 PUP
$101 Labor
$501 Pirate Party
$501 Sustainable Population Party
Darryn Lyons Futures
$1.15 to be re-elected mayor of Geelong in 2016 (void if he runs for Corio)
$34 to be a full minister by 2019
$251 to be Prime Minister by 2019
