A retired City trader won more than £1 million on the Scottish referendum result by wagering a staggering £900,000.
The ex-banker was so confident of a No vote that he bet the huge sum to generate winnings of £193,333.33.
The man, who did not want to be publicly identified, insisted he was “definitely not super-rich” but simply analysed vast amounts of data to make his prediction.
He placed four bets in total, one of £400,000, two of £200,000 and a fourth, of £100,000 - in the same South West London betting shop.
Scottish independence referendum
Speaking to the BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show, he said he was a Unionist but also a “data geek and information nerd”.
He said he was initially looking at the referendum “for personal reasons” because he invests in UK stocks and shares and the currency, and was “trying to understand what the impact might be on those from the referendum”.
After studying scores of polls and data, he said it was clear there would be a No vote, and as a “risk taker” the decision to bet was obvious.
He added: “Anyone that is prepared to make a reasoned wager and believes the chance of your reasoned wager happening is 100 per cent should bet anything they can afford to.”
William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe said the referendum “broke all political betting records”.
He said: “We took £3 million on the outcome and the industry some £10 million - this is more than the last General Election and US Presidential Elections combined, and the equivalent of the amount of money gambled on a high profile televised Premier League match.”
William Hill had made No their odds-on favourite, with the odds fluctuating from as short as 1/12 to as long as 2/5.
The winning bet was wagered at 1/5.
Mr Sharpe said: “We’re happy with the outcome as a Yes result would have been financially painful.”
