Oddsmaker: DC Area Has Fantastic Odds To Land Amazon

WASHINGTON, DC -- Amazon just released their list of 20 finalists to host their second headquarters, and three D.C.-area locations are on it. That certainly has appeared to boost the region's odds of landing Amazon, according to oddsmaker Bovada.

Bovada ranks Washington, D.C. as second most likely to get Amazon (+1000), behind only Nashville (+800) and just ahead of Atlanta (+1200). Montgomery County, Md. came in at +1500, tying it with Pittsburgh, Indianpolis, and Los Angeles. Northern Virginia didn't get as much respect, earning the second-worst odds at +1800, tying it with Newark, New York City, Raleigh, and Toronto.

Columbus, Boston, and Miami were ranked least likely to land Amazon with +2000.

Of course, there have been a ton of rankings lists released since Amazon's finalists were made public, and they all vary widely on who is most likely to get the coveted investment, which could amount to $5 billion and 50,000 jobs. One thing they all seem to agree on is that the D.C. area has a strong chance, and that's hard to ignore considering the fact that ours was the only metro area to get three spots on the list (not to mention that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and recently bought a home in the District).

"Amazon evaluated each of the proposals based on the criteria outlined in the RFP [request for proposals] to create the list of 20 HQ2 candidates that will continue in the selection process," reads a company statement. "In the coming months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to dive deeper into their proposals, request additional information, and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate the company’s hiring plans as well as benefit its employees and the local community. Amazon expects to make a decision in 2018."

Amazon HQ2 won't simply be a satellite office to their main corporate headquarters in Seattle. It will be a complete headquarters that the company will invest $5 billion in, and it will employ as many as 50,000 people, the company says.

"In addition to Amazon’s direct hiring and investment, construction and ongoing operation of Amazon HQ2 is expected to create tens of thousands of additional jobs and tens of billions of dollars in additional investment in the surrounding community," the statement adds.

Amazon employs more than 540,000 people worldwide.

The New York Times reported last year that Amazon would accept proposals for Amazon HQ2 from state and local leaders until Oct. 19. The company wants a city in North America with at least 1 million people that has a strong reputation in the tech world. That certainly describes D.C.

The D.C. mayor's office released a statement last year announcing that they were evaluating the request for proposals to determine next steps. "D.C. is open for business and we believe we check the boxes for Amazon's request," the statement reads.

The Washington Business Journal argues that the Capitol Riverfront near Nationals Park could be a good candidate, although it would require developers there to change up their plans a good bit.

Arlington Economic Development spokeswoman Cara O’Donnell told ARLnow.com that the county would be pursuing the opportunity, although she added that it was "too early to say which specific locations would be under consideration."

Prince George's County, Maryland, and Baltimore also submitted bids, but it appears they have been eliminated from consideration.

Although there is going to be a lot of competition, one thing working in the region's favor is its sterling tech reputation: according to a CBRE report, the D.C. area is second only to Silicon Valley in terms of its ability to attract and grow tech talent.

Image via Amazon