We all dream about it as we carefully select the odds, pick our team, set wagers, and see bated breath. Since the final whistle blows, we all emphasise it also indicates the triumph of a life. Would not that be something?
For some lucky bettors, it’s more than only a sweet sports gambling dream. We take a look at some of the most well-known and greatest wins in sports gambling history.
Grandpa Makes a Future Bet to Beat Them All
Soccer is the UK’s most popular game by far, and if Harry Wilson was born, grandfather Peter Edward was convinced the boy was destined for glory on the pitch.
So sure in fact , in 2000 (when Harry was still a toddler), Mr. Edwards went into the bookmakers and placed a #50 wager (roughly $67) that the boy would play Wales, his national team. The odds were a small long shot at 2,500-1, but he was sure it would pay off.
Fast forward to October 15th, 2013, and 16-year-old Harry was sitting on the seat for Wales. In the 87th minute of this World Cup qualifier against Belgium, Harry was hauled in as a substitute for Hal Robson-Kanu.
Harry not only broke the record to become the youngest player to represent his country on the pitch, but he also left his grandfather a wealthy man. The 13-year-old bet won his grandfather a tidy amount of #150,000.
A Fast and Furious Future Bet
In 1998 Richard Hopkins had a similar foresight when he was watching his son, Evan, race a youthful Lewis Hamilton in a go-karting track. Convinced the young Hamilton had a fast future before him, Hopkins put three separate bets on the rising racing celebrity.
The first was a #200 ($270) bet that Hamilton would acquire the Formula 1 until he turned 23, and a further #100 wager that he could be World Champion by 25. Hopkins was certain of his predictions, that he put an extra next wager of #50 that Hamilton could attain both.
Hamilton made Hopkins #40,000 wealthier when he won the Canadian Grand Prix in 2007 at age 22, and 50,000 richer when he clinched first spot from the Brazilian Grand Prix at 2008, in 24. This meant that Hopkins’ third wager bagged him an additional #75,000.
All of Mayweather’s Sports Bets
The most notorious sports bettor now is boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather. Renowned for his massive sports bets, he’s been known to reap hundreds of thousands (sometimes even millions of dollars) on single events. As the highest paid sports star of all time, he has plenty of spare money to play .
In the end of the 4th quarter, Mayweather collected a cool $1.4 million!
His biggest bet so far was in 2014, when he bet a whopping $815,000 on the Denver Broncos to beat the New York Jets with a 7.5 point spread. A touchdown from the Broncos put them up by 14, clear of the necessary points. At the end of the 4th quarter, Mayweather gathered a cool $1.4 million!
The Legend That’s Billy Walters
No listing of extremes in sports gambling would be complete without mentioning Billy Walters. Before Billy Walters was given his 5-year prison sentence and a $10 million fine to insider trading, Billy was the most infamous sports bettor of time. His enormous bets were so feared by the sportsbooks he was banned from wagering.
Among his most impressive bets was on the 2010 Super Bowl, when he put down $3.5million on New Orleans Saints to beat the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints were the underdogs entering the match with the Colts looking unbeatable, but Billy’s figures and stats all pointed to the Saints as the favorites. He went , and it paid off. Nobody knows how much Walter raked in exactly, but we are pretty sure it was a hefty sum!
Charles Barkley’s Super Bowl Win
Taking his seat in the game gambling hall of fame is the NBA legend turned into sports announcer, Charles Barkley. While he is best-known because of his gambling losses (reportedly totaling almost $30 million), it was his big win following the Super Bowl 36 that caused quite a stir.
By wagering half a million around the underdog New England Patriots to beat St. Louis Rams, plus a further $50,000 on the moneyline, Barkley won both stakes.
The controversy arose in the little fact that Barkley didn’t have sufficient credit in the Mandalay Bay sportsbook to cover the bet, and hadn’t signed a marker. Of course, that the sportsbook were reluctant to pay out, but finally gave in and Barkley banked his $800,000 win.
What’s Your Biggest Win?
Ever make a bet that made you that the hero (or even the jealousy ) of your betting buddies? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
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