Royal baby imminent; Olympics impressing the bookies; Hills taken to cleaners

prince william dutchess of cambridgeA new member of the Royal Family could arrive sooner rather than later after one bookie saw a spike in bets. Paddy Power took a number of seven-figure bets on Prince William and his bird the Duchess of Cambridge having a sprog in 2013. It got to the point where the odds fell from 4-5 to 1-4. Paddy Power commented: “When punters are willing to place large bets at these odds it’s usually based on more than ­speculation. Let’s hope so!” You can also gets odds of 50/1 on twins, 500/1 on triplets and the leaders in the name stakes are Frances at 7/1 and John, Victoria and Mary at 8/1.

Bookies have been impressed by the short term success the Olympics has given them. William Hill, in particular, has been surprised at the upturn in betting thanks to the success of Team GB athletes at the games. A spokesperson told TotallyGaming: “Whilst turnover levels are not in the same league as the likes of the Euros or a World Cup, we have been pleased with how popular the Olympics has been. Following Team GB’s amazing successes it’s likely we will see the strong emergence of athletics and cycling as desirable betting events.”

One lucky punter has taken Hills to the cleaners for over £100k on their online site. The lucky 23-year-old punter from Newcastle took £108,469.70 on the “Cop The Lot” slot after only having the account open for 16 days. William Hill spokeswoman Lucy Rhodes said “This amazing win couldn’t have come at a better time for our lucky punter. He has landed one of the biggest wins in our history of Mobile betting just over two weeks after joining us, and all for a £2 spin.”