Howes made that remark on the 7 pm Project last night and Andrew Bolt was quick to say that Howes had not actually registered the bet with Centrebet. (If that means anything.)
Another case of giving himself wriggle room? (Like the "if one job is lost" promise that now "didn't really mean quite that". Now it means "if one employer lays somone off unnecessarily using the carbon tax as an excuse - and it has to be unnecessary, as Joolya's compensation will "ensure" no one loses his or her job.)
If he really has bet his house on it, despite the brave face, I would imagine he's one worried little vegemite - and likely to become moreso.