Royal baby name: Surge of bets on Charlotte leave bookies possibly facing £1 million payout
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Version 0 of 1. There has been a last minute flurry of bets on Charlotte as the most likely name for the new princess, leaving bookies potentially facing a seven-figure payout to punters The name has now been placed top of the list at 3/1 with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power, and level with Alice, the previous favourite, with the same odds at Coral. A peak of interest led Sky to temporarily suspend bets on the name Charlotte last night, as the odds hit 2/1. Olivia has also become a late favourite and is now being offered at around 4/1 or 5/1. “The betting suggests the most likely names are Alice and Charlotte, however, we've seen a huge gamble today for Olivia who was as big as 40-1 before the baby was born but is now as short as 4-1,” According to Coral's John Hill. Victoria and Elizabeth remain popular, Diana is at 10/1 and Frances and Grace are long shots at 25/1. Ladbrokes has said that if one of the top names is chosen: “The payout for the betting industry will be bumped up to a million pounds”. The name Charlotte has a long royal pedigree. It is of course the feminine of Charles and was the name of George III's queen. Likewise Alice was the name of the Duke of Edinburgh's mother and also a daughter of Queen Victoria. A Paddy Power spokesman said: “The punters are back caught in Charlotte's web, but it could still be Alice in Wonderland.” AP and PA |