The Great British Bake Off is one of the BBC One’s most popular shows, so popular in fact that UK Bookmakers were offering odds on who would win the contest. Yet after a recent suspicious influx of wagers, bookmakers have suspended betting amid fears that the winner’s name has been leaked.

Ladbrokes recently announced that a single punter had originally placed 90% of the bets on a single contestant but there was a sudden flurry of unusual activity which reduced the odds from 12/1 to even money in a few short hours.

The wagers were placed in shops in the Ipswich area even though the contestant they were betting on does not have any ties to Suffolktown. According to staff, various customers visited and asked to wager the highest possible amounts on a single contestant which raised suspicions.

According to the Ladbrokes spokesperson, when the bookmaker sees an influx of wagers for a single contestant at the expense of everyone else, it is a sign to suspend betting to assess the situation and the decision was taken to do so. This will however not affect wagers that have already been placed.

Two years ago there was a similar case when bookmaker Coral feared that someone in the know had leaked the name of the 2013 series winner Frances Quinn.

Filming for this year’s Bake Off has reportedly been completed, so there is a small circle of people who do know the outcome and it is possible that the results could have been leaked, but it’s very difficult to prove at this point. Yet, bookmakers decisions hold firm on suspending betting and once the results are released, odds on the existing bets will be paid out accordingly.