London, May 16 (IANS): A British bookmaker has suspended betting on who will be the next James Bond after a large bet was placed on actor Tom Hiddleston.

A flurry of bets in recent days had tipped the "Thor" actor to replace Daniel Craig as the next 007, making him the 2-1 favourite. 

After a big gamble, his odds plummeted to 1-2, and website Coral suspended betting, the BBC reported.

Earlier this week, the British actor was reportedly spotted meeting with Bond movie director Sam Mendes.

Nicola McGeady, a spokeswoman for Coral, said: "There is no smoke without fire, and following the big gamble on Tom Hiddleston in the last 24 hours, we've had no choice but to pull the plug on the market." 

"Earlier in the year there was a gamble on Idris Elba and Damian Lewis, but nothing has come close to the recent gamble on Hiddleston," McGeady added. 

Elba was priced at 9-1 and Lewis at 14-1 before betting was suspended.

"Poldark" star Aidan Turner had 3-1 odds and "Mad Max: Fury Road" actor Tom Hardy was at 4-1.

Earlier, Craig had dropped hints of bidding goodbye to James Bond prior to the release of the franchise's 24th instalment “Spectre” last year.