When it comes to Amazon’s pick for its second corporate headquarters in North America, all bets are off.
But that isn’t stopping some gamblers from playing the odds. Irish gambling site Paddy Power is taking bets on where Amazon will establish HQ2 and Atlanta, Ga. has a clear lead with 2-1 odds.
Austin is the second pick, with 3-1 odds, followed by Boston at 6-1. The Paddy Power odds were first spotted by Fortune.
Atlanta does have some key advantages that could appeal to Amazon. Home to Georgia Tech and 133,000 tech workers, Atlanta offers access to talent without much competition from Amazon’s rivals. The city is also a major transportation hub, a preference outlined in Amazon’s HQ2 request for proposals.
Of course, these odds should be taken with a grain of salt. Subverting expectations is in Amazon’s DNA and we don’t know what kind of plum deals cities have included in their proposals yet.
The submission period for Amazon’s HQ2 RFP closed Thursday. The company is reviewing proposals and plans to make a decision in 2018.
Which city would you put money on? Tell us in the comments or answer our poll here.
