Rove's Days Are Numbered

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (PRESS RELEASE) -- With Karl Rove's future as White House Deputy Chief of Staff in serious doubt, Sportsbook.com is the only online sportsbook to offer updated odds on the long-running scandal that continues to plague the Bush Administration. Current odds are 1-2 that Rove will have to leave the White House in the wake of an ongoing criminal investigation, and 3-2 that he will not.

Speculation on Rove's job security intensified when the indispensable Bush adviser was called to testify yesterday for the fourth time before a federal grand jury. At issue is whether Rove knowingly leaked the identity of a covert CIA operative to reporters in an effort to discredit an outspoken critic of the administration's war in Iraq. According to investigation insiders, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is also trying to determine whether Rove lied after the fact to conceal his involvement in the leak.

The significant shift from the opening odds of 1-6 that Rove would not be dismissed or resign is a reflection of the grand jury's increased focus on Rove and of the growing consensus that he will not emerge unscathed. Recent testimony from jailed New York Times reporter Judith Miller may have given the grand jury reason to doubt previous statements made by Rove regarding the leak.

Even if Rove is not indicted, many political observers feel the president may nevertheless be forced to sac his top adviser to preserve the administration's credibility. Since updated odds were posted yesterday, betting trends indicate that Americans are leaning towards the view that Rove will leave the White House.

"Everyone loves to bet, but not everyone bets on sports. So it's important for us to provide Americans with the opportunity to wager on other hot button items like politics and entertainment," says Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com.