The race for the Christmas number one single is all but over according to bookmakers William Hill, who now bet 1/100 about Gareth Malone’s Military Wives’ Choir claiming the honour.
As a result, the firm have opened other markets in a bid to keep the cash coming ahead of the Christmas Day announcement.
They offer 3/1 that the single sells one million copies this week. It’s 5/4 to sell more than 700,000.
Hill’s already bet on next year’s Christmas number one making the 2012 X Factor winner a 1/2 shot. It’s 6/1 that Malone’s choir top the festive chart in 2012.
“The military wives have thrashed the opposition this year. The big question is will Gareth-inspired choirs take over from the X Factor as the new certainty for the Christmas charts?” said Hill’s spokesman Joe Crilly.