70% of Ladbrokes Scottish independence referendum bets are Yes
Scottish independence bettors are leaning heavily towards a Yes vote, according to bookmaker Ladbrokes.
There's a lot at stake for bookies with the referendum
The firm announced that it has taken around a quarter of a million worth of bets from Scottish voters between Tuesday and Wednesday this week, with around 70 per cent opting for the Yes vote.
This comes after Betfair announced it was going to pay out those who had bet on the No vote early, establishing its confidence in the final result of the referendum.
The bets have been coming in thick and fast with one West London gambler putting £20,000 on the result. This demand has allegedly forced the bookmaker to cut the odds of a Yes from 11/4 to 3/1.
Bettors are also putting stakes on how much of the Scottish population will turn out for the referendum, with the odds of over 85 per cent of those registered to vote turning out being slashed from 16/1 to 9/4.
Alex Donohue, a Ladbrokes spokesperson, said: “Referendum betting has reached fever pitch. We've never known a political event like it and we're absolutely gripped.
“Bets are coming in by the second and with the race set to go down to the wire we will be open for business until the last minute."
Ladbrokes, along with William Hill, Coral and Paddy Power earlier this week agreed to operate under a voluntary watchdog, restricting ads for gambling on TV before 9pm and devoting a fifth of shop front advertising to responsible gambling messages.