BOOKMAKERS William Hill have predicted that up to £1 million will be gambled on today's Scottish Cup final between Rangers and Falkirk.
Rangers are the overwhelming 1/7 favourites with Hills to retain the trophy and do the league and cup double this afternoon and 2/7 to win the match in 90 minutes.
The newly-crowned SPL champions have also been given short odds of 1/3 to lift the
trophy by Boylesports and 2/7 with McBookie, with the Bairns regarded as rank outsiders at 12/1 to win by Boylesports and 11/1 with McBookie
Odds of 10/3 are available on a draw at the end of regulation time and Hills are confident that the showpiece final will attract more bets than any other in the whole campaign.
"We are optimistic that this will be the biggest betting game of the Scottish season with up to £1million gambled on the outcome of the Final' said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.
Rangers have not lost a Scottish Cup tie in Glasgow since February 2006 and haven't lost a Scottish Cup final since the 2-1 defeat to Hearts in 1998.
They also have the SPL's top scorer in their ranks in the shape of Kris Boyd who has scored in the last three matches against Falkirk.
Hills are offering odds of 8/13 on Boyd to score with a Boyd hat-trick priced at 12/1.
Ibrox striker Boyd has also been made favourite to score the first goal at Hampden this afternoon with odds of 3/1 from Scotbet.
Strike partner Kenny Miller is 9/2, while Falkirk marksman Steve Lovell is at 9/1. Tam Scobbie, the first goal-scorer in the semi-final win over Dunfermline, is an outside bet at 50/1.
Hills make Boyd 16/5 to score the winner while Miller is 11/2 and Northern Ireland international Kyle Lafferty 6/1.
Lovell and Michael Higdon, who scored the goal that kept the Bairns in the SPL at Inverness last weekend, are 33/1 with Hills to net the winning goal for Falkirk.
With a hat-trick not having been scored in the Cup final since 1996, Hills are offering 6/1 on that feat being emulated this afternoon.
The final could also prove to be Barry Ferguson's last match for Rangers, with speculation mounting that the former Scotland international could be heading across the border during the summer.
Hills are offering 9/4 on the deposed skipper being at Tony Mowbray's West Brom on the first day of the new season and 5/2 on him renewing his link with former Ibrox manager Alex McLeish at Birmingham.
Despite keeping his side in the SPL, Falkirk manager John Hughes has also been linked with a move away from his club.
The Bairns manager is 2/9 with Hills to still be with the club next season while odds of 11/2 are being offered on Hughes being in charge of an English Championship outfit when the new campaign gets under way..
Meanwhile, Auchinleck are 2/7 to lift the Scottish Junior Cup tomorrow while Clydebank are priced at 5/2. The match odds are Auchinleck 1/2, draw 16/5, Clydebank 7/2.
The full article contains 548 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
