£200,000 bet on No vote

Both sides of debate pledge to give better explanation to firms

A GLASGOW gambler has staked a record £200,000 that Scottish independence will be rejected in the referendum next year.

Bookies William Hill said the bet – the largest political gamble it has taken – would make a total profit of £36,666 if there was a No vote in September 2014.

“We have never taken a bigger bet than this on any political subject,” said William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe.

He said: “The man, in his late-50s, with a pronounced Scottish accent, and a stranger to staff, struck one bet of £30,000 at odds of 1/5, then returned to place another, of £70,000 at the same odds, before placing a third, of £100,000 at odds by now shortened to 1/6.”

Polls suggest most people in Scotland will not back independence, but there are still 450 days to go before the vote.

The gambler has only wasted his money, an SNP spokesman said.

He added: “It’s a shame this person has just wasted such a large amount * of money –because we are extremely * confident it’s going to be a Yes.”

BOTH sides in the independence debate have admitted they must do more to get their arguments across to the business community after a survey showed 60% of the sector said they did not have the information to form a view.

More than 70% also responded that independence would affect their business, prompting Liz Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, to call for more information.

She said: “Nearly 60% of businesses surveyed said they didn’t know enough to take a view on whether Scotland should become independent or remain within the UK.

“We also found more than 70% of businesses that responded expect independence would affect their business.”

She added: “This sends a clear message to those conducting the constitutional debate in Scotland more information is needed on key business concerns to ensure the choice made in 2014 is based on the best evidence available about the implications of the alternatives offered.”

Business for Scotland, part of the Yes Scotland campaign, insisted: “We are already providing a lot of information about the benefits of having full control of our own affairs, why Westminster isn’t working for Scotland and why Scotland has got what it takes to be a more prosperous as well as fairer country.

“At the same time, we recognise there is a lot of hard work to do over the coming months to provide answers to important questions that will help persuade people the best choice for a better and fairer Scotland is to vote Yes next September.”

A spokesman for the pro-Union Better Together campaign said: “Businesses in Scotland deserve honest answers from the SNP about t he implications of separation.

“Whether it’s on currency, the EU or regulation, the nationalists have completely failed to offer any credible idea of what would happen if we go it alone. The reason for this is that, despite having 80 years to come up with some, the SNP don’t have any answers.

He added: “Scottish businesses benefit from being part of the single UK market. We sell more to the rest of the UK than to the rest of the world combined. There is no sense in putting up a border with our biggest trading partner. It is clear we are stronger and better together.”

But a Yes campaign activist insisted: “We are very much up for that challenge and we are convinced that as more people, including business people, learn about the opportunities presented by independence, the more they will see it makes sense.

“It is also important businesses ask questions of the No campaign – what has Westminster to offer to boost growth in the Scottish economy, and tackle the key challenges we face?”

Ms Cameron said the Scottish Chambers of Commerce would be working hard between now and referendum day to make sure members’ priorities are being addressed. “This survey shows the constitutional debate hasn’t yet engaged clearly enough with the priorities of the Scottish business community,” she said.

“Today, we call on those on both sides of the debate to examine their plans and to ask themselves what more they could be doing to make sure the Scottish business community has the information it needs.”