Bookies predict winner in final day of betting

McEwan and Jones battle it out for favourite position

15 October 2007

In the final day of betting on this year’s Man Booker Prize for Fiction winner even the two major bookmakers seem at odds over the likely winner.

Ladbrokes is predicting another win for Ian McEwan with his novel On Chesil Beach. For some weeks their odds were favouring Lloyd Jones to win with his novel Mister Pip but in a surge of final bets McEwan has come out on top.

Ladbrokes spokesman, Nick Weinberg, said: ‘Punters have struggled to make up their minds about Ian McEwan. He initially attracted support but that waned as the controversy about his inclusion raged. But he’s overtaken Lloyd Jones in the home straight.’

Ladbrokes has given McEwan the 6/4 market lead while previous favourite Mister Pip is 2/1 to claim the prize.

William Hill, however, still has Lloyd Jones as the 6/4 favourite to win, with McEwan flagging behind at 15/8. These odds follow what is thought to be one of the biggest gambles in Booker Prize history with a six figure payout should Jones’ Mister Pip win the coveted prize.

’There has never been a betting plunge like this on the Booker - Jones was 20/1 outsider of the field at the Long-list stage yet when the short-list was announced he had been so heavily backed that he became clear favourite, pushing former winner Ian McEwan out to second favourite’ said Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.

’If Jones wins on Tuesday night we are likely to be making our first ever six figure payout to happy literary punters’.

However, recent years show that the bookies’ rarely correctly predict the winner for the Man Booker Prize. Ladbrokes spokesman, Nick Weinberg, said: ‘Lloyd Jones remains the pace setter. But as the history books demonstrate, Booker Prize favouritism is more often a curse than a blessing.’

It has been five years since the favourite has won the coveted prize, when Yann Martel won with his novel The Life of Pi.

Betting is expected to close later on today Monday 15 October.

Latest odds can be seen at William Hill or at Ladbrokes.

PREVIOUS WINNERS AND FAVOURITES (source: Ladbrokes)