THE Albion frenzy continues ahead of their end of season crunch matches with the
Fans are rubbing their hands looking to cash in at the bookmakers, extra tickets are being snapped up for games during the promotion run in and the county is still being urged to turn into a sea of blue and white
Promotion fever continues to spread across the county with 500 additional tickets for the club’s potential winner-takes-it-all game against Middlesbrough on the last day of the season selling out in next to no time yesterday.
Bookies have also revealed that one punter stands to win £36,000 if Albion claim the Championship title.
The county is being encouraged to turn blue and white during the last fortnight of the season where three wins would see the club clinch a return to the top division for the first time since 1983.
More than 3,000 Seagull supporters will travel to Charlton tomorrow for the first of three crunch games while more than 1,200 will head to the Amex instead to watch a live stream of the game.
Season ticket holders unable to make the club’s last home game of the season against fellow promotion rivals Derby County are being offered the chance to re-sell their ticket as the club tries to accommodate huge demand for the match.
Bookmakers are desperate for Albion fans’ dream of claiming the Championship title to not come true because it would hit them hard in the wallet.
Ladbrokes told this paper they were “desperate” for Burnley to top the table as an Albion title will leave them facing their “second biggest liability” after Leicester City - if they were to win the Premier League.
William Hill said they had taken a £1,250 each way bet on Albion to win the division at 20/1 which could net the better almost £36,000.
The bookies said about 14 per cent of all bets on the market had been for Brighton with only Derby County and Middlesbrough attracting more of punters’ money.
Paddy Power said they would be paying out £150,000 if Albion were to win the Championship, £20,000 more than if the more-fancied pre-season frontrunners Middlesbrough win the title and more than both Burnley and Hull.
The firm said one customer staked £500 at 8/1 on a Seagulls’ Championship win which could see the punter collecting £4,500 come May 7.
Coral said they would be paying out £20,000 on a play-off win for Albion and £50,000 on automatic promotion – just a quarter of the payout for a Middlesbrough title.
Their biggest bet placed on Albion at the start of the season was £2,000 at 15/2 in their Hove shop which would net £17,000.
John Hill of Coral said: “Although Brighton weren’t one of the fancied teams to get promoted at the start of the season, they were very popular in and around East Sussex.
“Hundreds of Brighton fans are likely to be cashing in on a nice pay-out if they can gain promotion automatically, while if they do end up in the play-offs, they will be favourites to go up via Wembley.”
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