The bookies have consistently given Remain a bigger lead in the betting than they have in the polls, although Leave shortened in the European Union referendum betting odds last week before easing again, said the mirror.co.uk.
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In an email message he said: “There is a very real chance that voters in London and Scotland will vote to keep us in the European Union today despite the heartlands of the country voting to leave”.
Turnout could be an interesting pointer, as it has always been assumed by pollsters that Leave supporters are more motivated and so will be disproportionately represented in a thin vote.
The markets reacted to the uncertainty with the pound surging as the polls closed last night, before falling dramatically to its lowest point since 2009.
“It’s very jittery and I suppose that’s very much going to be the order of the day until we see final results being announced”, said Robert Rennie, chief currency strategist at Westpac in Sydney.
“Opinion polls tell us it’s too close to call, but the hot money is most definitely on the status quo and another rally to end the week”.
The divide reflects the way the Leave camp structured its campaign, as the underdog that was attempting to fling stones at the Goliath Remain camp.
Arlene Foster, a Brexit campaigner, said it was important that those on both sides of the debate made their voices heard.
A Brexit vote could deal a fatal blow to Mr Cameron’s career as prime minister, although he has vowed to stay on whatever the outcome. While he has repeatedly stressed that the 2015 General Election has given him the mandate to continue irrespective of the result, the bitter campaign had exposed a deep divide within his own Conservative party.
Orkney Islands voted to remain as 7,189 people voted to stay and 4,193 voted to leave.
Immigration had been the central theme throughout and expected to swing most of the votes in favour of Brexit.
As financial markets braced for the referendum result, there was further roller-coaster trading on currency exchanges with the pound losing ground on the back of polls giving the Leave campaign a slight lead.
A YouGov poll showed the “Remain” campaign leading with 41% of preferences while “Leave” had 40%.
At around 2am, we will get the “first big wave of results, with 22 councils expected to declare at or around this time”.
But the phone poll of 1,032 people on June 17-22 also underlined the confusion among voters as 11 per cent of people said they were still undecided.
According to the pollsters, the almost zero margin between the both sides hinted at a “statistical dead heat” as the one percent lead fell in the margin of error.
World leaders and the City of London are all braced for the result which could rock global financial markets, change the shape of the continent and even spark a second Scottish independence referendum.
Sealed ballot boxes are now being collected and transported to the venue for each of the 382 local counting areas.
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Registered voters include Britons aged over 18 from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar – a British territory off the southern coast of Spain.
