Bookmakers have been forced to pay out a surprisingly large amount in the opening weeks of the Premier League season as the number of draws in the competition plummets.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool - three of the Premier League's top four - are amongst five clubs which have failed to record a single draw this season. Portsmouth and Burnley also join them on the list which, because most punters bet on wins, has forced bookmakers to up their payouts. Indeed, by the end of September there had only been four draws in the competition.

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William Hill, one of the UK's leading bookmakers, reported a three-per cent drop in third-quarter revenues yesterday as the results took effect, though its margins have now returned to ordinary levels, with chief executive Ralph Topping telling City AM: "Football and horse racing affected us again in August and into September but margins have returned to more normal historic levels since then."

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Stoke City have recorded more draws then any other Premier League side this season, holding Everton, Bolton and Birmingham City away from home.