Bookies are bracing for a £150m betting bonanza on Thursday as Ladies’ Day, Euro 2016, golf and tennis come up alongside Brexit wagers
UK bookies are bracing themselves for a multimillion pound betting bonanza on Thursday, according to Ladbrokes, as four major sporting events combine with Brexit in a waging spree.
Punters all over the country will be able to take their pick from the Euro 2016 England v Wales match, Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot, Andy Murray making his way onto the court at Queen's Club and Danny Willetts getting his putt on as he tries to win back-to-back majors at Oakmont.
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Alongside referendum bets flying in thick and fast just a week before Britons will take to the polls, Ladbrokes has forecast the UK's bookmaking industry will process wagers of up to £150m on Thursday alone.
Analysts predict that £1,000 a minute will be wagered in the run-up to Roy Hodgson's men heading out onto the pitch and the Royal Procession starting at the Berkshire racecourse.
Bets on England's first footballer to score have been split several ways, with 37 per cent of wagers put on Kane despite his mediocre performance against Russia, followed by Vardy (24 per cent) and Rooney (22 per cent). Eric Dier has also gained backing after his strike on Saturday – the biggest wager for him is for £100 at 16/1.
Almost eight in 10 (78 per cent) of first scorer bets on the Wales team, in contrast, have been placed on Gareth Bale.
Ladbrokes also surveyed thousands of football fans ahead of the Group B clash in the European championships, and found over half (54 per cent) of England fans would bunk off work with a feigned illness to sneakily watch the game. Food poisoning, the flu, or even just saying outright "I want to stay home and watch the football" are all excuses research has found employees may float with their bosses this summer.
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Welsh fans were marginally more honest, with 51 per cent of Wales supporters saying they would stay in work.
Order of St George to win the Ascot Gold Cup and England to beat Wales is proving a popular double with patriotic punters, where a £10 stake will collect £31.43 in return. However, Ladbrokes also reported a £70k bet was placed today on England to beat Wales at 4/7. If England do indeed win, the male customer from Essec will win £40k in return.
"Britons are lining up a multimillion pound bookie bashing on Thursday. Wages are already pouring in and the industry is set for a record-breaking betting bonanza as workers skive off to engulf themselves in all of the action," Ladbrokes spokesperson Jessica Bridge said.