Betfair pays out to gamblers who backed "No" vote in Scotland

LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Opinion polls suggest the outcome of the Scottish referendum is too close to call but gambling company Betfair said on Tuesday it was already paying out winnings to customers who had staked money on a "No" vote to independence.

Bookmakers sometimes pay out early on sports events when they consider the result a foregone conclusion, deciding that the publicity they generate is worth the risk should there be a surprise turnaround.

"We've decided that 'No' is most likely to be the winning vote in 3 days' time, so we've put our money where our mouth is," online betting specialist Betfair said.

The referendum on Thursday when voters in Scotland decide whether to split from the United Kingdom has attracted record levels of interest from British gamblers.

One London-based gambler will collect 973,000 pounds ($1.58 million) if Scotland rejects independence after staking 800,000 pounds on a "No" vote with William Hill (Other OTC: WIMHF - news) , Britain's largest bookmaker.

Opinion polls indicate the vote will be very close.

Out of four recent polls, three showed those in favour of maintaining the union had an advantage of between 2 and 8 percentage points. But an ICM poll conducted over the Internet showed supporters of independence in the lead. (Writing by Keith Weir; editing by Stephen Addison)