Wary bookie ends Brother bets

Craig is favourite to be laughing all the way to the bank

One of the UK's leading bookmakers has stopped taking bets on who will win Big Brother, following suspicions insiders have had access to early voting patterns.

William Hill took the decision after taking a number of four-figure bets on Craig - one of three contestants in the running for the £70,000 first prize.

Viewers of the Channel 4 show have until Friday to vote for their favourite, with the winner announced later the same night.

But a William Hill spokesman said the company was concerned some people were able to obtain information about early statistics which they may have used to their advantage.

Darren will be hoping to stay in front of Anna on the day of reckoning

"Despite offering Craig at very short odds of 1/3 we have been almost knocked over in the rush to back him," he said.

Reliable

"The punters were so keen to put on four-figure bets at any odds they could find that we suspect they may have access to early voting figures."

The spokesman added: "Of course the final voting is not until Friday but early indications have proved a very reliable indicator as to who will be eliminated in previous votes."

Big Brother dismissed the claims, insisting it was impossible to say who would win.

A Channel 4 spokesman said: "Members of the production crew will not have access to the confidential phone vote until about half an hour before the vote closes on Friday.

"At this stage it is totally impossible to say who is going to win. As past eviction shows have demonstrated, over 50% of the calls come in on the last day."

When it stopped taking bets, William Hill was offering odds of 1/3 on Liverpudlian Craig, with Anna at 9/4 and Darren the outsider on 14/1.