Having scored at the polls, the PDs are set to continue their winning ways at the bookies.
Mary Harney is due to call in to Paddy Power bookmakers on Baggot Street, Dublin, this morning, to collect her takings on a bet she placed on the day the election was called. The Tánaiste put on €20 at 12/1 on the PDs taking eight seats.
She wasn't the only party figure to benefit financially from their success. Fiona O'Malley, who took a seat in Dún Laoghaire, will collect €1,200, having bet €200 on her own fortunes, at odds of 6/1.
Just as successful was Liz O'Donnell's election agent, Ronnie McBrien, who placed €100 on O'Donnell, Harney and O'Malley each winning seats. At odds of 10/1, he won €1,000, which he plans to donate to charity.
Bertie Ahern and Charlie McCreevy could also be picking up their winnings soon, having bet on Mr Ahern to be Taoiseach and on a Fianna Fáil/PD coalition. Last February, the pair marked the euro changeover by putting a meagre £1 on Bertie at odds of 5/2 on and £100 on the present coalition.
But don't cry any tears for the bookies just yet. Overall, Stewart Kenny of Paddy Power says his firm had a good election.
"We made a good bit on Labour and Fine Gael, lost on Sinn Féin and recycled our money on the Greens. But we got it spectacularly wrong on the PDs, and not for the first time."
Only seven out of 20 candidates listed in the firm's "Dáil Derby" won seats; anyone who picked all seven would have got odds of 10/1. "Many people banked on Nora Owen, so we had pocketed their money even before they woke up on Saturday morning."
The firm took in about €100,000 in general election bets, which Kenny described as "a bit of a disappointment". "It was a dull election, let's face it, most of us were bored off our pants."
Powers are already paying out on a Fianna Fáil/PD coalition for the next Government. This option is currently available at the prohibitive odds of 6/1 on, while a Fianna Fáil-only administration is at 7/2. Then it's 14/1 on a Fianna Fáil/Green coalition, 33/1 on Fianna Fáil/Labour and 1,000/1 on a grand coalition of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
