Manchester is officially the most sceptical place in Britain

Manchester is being hailed as the most sceptical city in the UK after a third of people said they would turn down £1,000 for free.

New research from by Betfair Casino revealed that, as a nation, we often err on the side of caution when it comes to accepting any freebies. In a poll of 2,000 people, three-quarters of Brits admit they would be apprehensive when offered something for nothing.

However, Mancunians come out on top when it comes to being the most suspicious in the country after 29 per cent said they would be very sceptical of any freebie, followed by Liverpool, Leeds, London, and Glasgow making up the top five.

Read more: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

When it came to money, 29 per cent said they would refuse £10, which increased to 32 per cent for £1,000. Mancs also said they would refuse a free cup of coffee (29 per cent), a bunch of flowers (26 per cent), and even a car (35 per cent).

There's a wide variety of reasons that Brits said they would refuse a freebie, with 52 per cent believing a gift would have strings attached, or that they would be expected to do something in return (33 per cent), or the gift itself would be dodgy (15 per cent).

In order to test the results, Betfair Casino set up an 'everyone's a winner' pop-up pinball machine in Manchester city centre. While promising that every player would get a prize, dozens walked passed the machine instead of playing their hand.

However, one who didn’t was Adam Matthews, from Salford, who scooped the £1,000 jackpot prize. The 31-year-old said: “I can’t believe it

“I was out shopping with my sister and walked past the shed because you always think there’s a catch. But I’m glad I came back to give it a go.”

Betfair