The Coalition leadership market has become a one-horse race following heavy betting behind Joe Hockey over the weekend at Sportingbet Australia.

Dropping to a near-unbackable $1.20 to lead the Coalition to the next election, Mr Hockey enjoys the absolute support of punters to seize control in tomorrow morning’s leadership ballot. He has pulled well ahead of conservative candidate Tony Abbott, who now languishes at $5.00, and the apparently outgoing leader Malcolm Turnbull, who has slid out to an unlikely $7.00 in the betting.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said that after a tumultuous weekend for the leadership market, punters have crowded around Hockey. “I’d say Hockey’s visit to John Howard finalised the issue in the minds of punters,” said Mr Sullivan.

“Turnbull seems to have run out of friends and Abbott has the slight issue of his unelectability to overcome,” he said. Meanwhile other leadership contenders in the Sportingbet Australia market are Andrew Robb ($17), Peter Dutton ($21) and Julie Bishop, who has blown out to $34.

FEDERAL OPPOSITION LEADERSHIP AT THE NEXT FEDERAL ELECTION
Sportingbet Australia Market

Hockey $1.20
Abbott $5.00
Turnbull $7.00
Robb $17.00
Dutton $21.00
Bishop $34.00
Any Other $11.00