But the smaller money bettors like the chance of an upset. So it's difficult to say how the money will come in during the days before Saturday's kickoffs.
If 'Big Phil' gets the job we will be quite happy from a bookmaking point of view as we will make a five figure profit.
This time last year, you could get 6-1 for Tiger to win the Open, but he is coming into this year's event bang in form and our customers are backing him as though defeat were out of the question. If he wins, the industry will take a multimillion-pound hit.
We cannot now see beyond these five as serious candidates, despite having taken bets for some thirty contenders in all
The Tory decision wouldn't seem to have done Ken Clarke's hopes a great deal of good and we think David Davis now has the clear edge over his opponents with Liam Fox - whose odds we have halved from 12/1 - potentially his main challenger
Still, you can't afford to take chances when a gamble develops on this job as previous bitter experience has shown us.
Up until the injury we were consistently taking substantial bets for England but now the support has dried up - although we do face seven figure liabilities for an England victory.
A few years ago this match would have been inconsequential but we now have clients in these markets and feel obliged to offer odds.
I hope we are trivializing it. The Booker takes itself far too seriously. We are popularizing it and making it far more accessible. It's great that people have a flutter.
I hope we are trivializing it, ... The Booker takes itself far too seriously. We are popularizing it and making it far more accessible. It's great that people have a flutter.