Betting is no longer confined to high rollers in Vegas casinos, or dedicated sports fans queuing up in the local bookies. It’s never been easier to enjoy gambling with the evolution of online casinos and bookmakers.
Online betting has soared in popularity in recent years, with no sign of a slow-down in its meteoric rise. Whether it’s betting on football and other sports, or playing roulette, slots, and poker, there is now a vast range of online gambling available.
Betting at a bookmaker or gambling at a casino should always be fun, first and foremost. However, there is also the potential for unbelievable winnings with the right strategy and a helping of luck. Here is a rundown of ten of the most famous wins in betting ever recorded.
Ten Big Winners
Without further ado, here are 10 of famous betting winners who collected some of the most memorable payouts.
10 – Adrian Hayward – £25,000
Liverpool fan Adrian Hayward placed a £125 bet at 125:1 that Xavi Alonso would score from his own half. In 2006, he collected £25,000 when Alonso scored from his own half against Luton Town in the FA Cup.
09 – Steve Whiteley – £1.5 million
This 61-year-old heating engineer bet just £2 on a horse race as a Tote bet. Beating all the expert predictions, he collected a prize of £1.5million.
08 – Gerry McIllroy – £100,000
Rory McIllroy’s dad, Gerry, was so confident in his 15-year-old son’s ability that he bet £200 in 2004 that he would win the British Open within 10 years. In 2014 Rory delivered the victory, netting his father a cool £100,000 prize.
07 – Anonymous – £200,000
A US sports fan placed a £100 bet on Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2015, with odds of 5000/1. When the Foxes won the title, the bet paid out a whopping £200,000.
06 – Vegas Dave – $2.5 million
Vegas Dave aka Dave Oancea had a pretty big stake to start with, $140,000. He bet on Kansas City Royals to win the World Series in 2015, with huge odds as they hadn’t won in 15 years. When they won the series, Vegas Dave won what is now a famous $2.5 million bet.
05 – Sean Connery – £27,000
This bet is famous for its well-known participant and the unusual wager he won. In 1963, actor Sean Connery bet on the number 17 to win on roulette three times in a row – when it came in he won £27,000.
04 – Mick Gibbs – £157,000
One of the most impressive feats on this list, Mick Gibbs won a huge accumulator in 1999. Correctly naming the winners of the four English leagues, the Conference, the rugby Premiership, the cricket County Championship, and the Champions League Final, Gibbs won £157,000 in return for a 30p wager.
03 – Elmer Sherwin – $25million
Clearly born under a lucky star, Elmer Sherwin won the progressive Megabucks jackpot twice in Vegas casinos. The first netted him $4.65million for a $3 stake in 1989, with the second bet paying out $21.1million in 2005 when Elmer was 92 years old.
02 – Darren Yates – £550,000
In 1996 Darren Yates bet £62 that Frankie Dettori would win all of his seven rides that day at Ascot, an almost impossible feat. Incredibly, Dettori was victorious in every race, winning Yates £550,000 in a famous wager that became known as the “Magnificent Seven”.
01 – John Heywood – £13.2 million
This comes in at number 1 as it’s a heartwarming tale as well as a money-spinner. British 26-year-old British soldier John Heywood opened his casino account and 25 minutes later placed a 25p bet on the Mega Moolah slot. He won £13.2million and said he would use the money to help his dad who was waiting for a heart-and-lung transplant. Unforgettable.
Strategies to Win
No gambling strategy can ever guarantee a win, which is why you should never play with money that you can’t afford to lose. While some people do make huge profits from gambling, there’s always an element of risk which shouldn’t be ignored.
However, there are ways to tilt the odds in your favour by adopting some simple strategies:
- Gamble on sports markets you are an expert in.
- Once you’ve decided your bet, don’t be distracted or dissuaded by external influences.
- Never chase your losses; set your betting budget for the day and stick to it.
- Compare bookmakers to find value bets.
- Check whether hedging your bets would be mathematically profitable.
- Consider dutching – similar to hedging but not all outcomes are covered.
- Look at statistic betting systems such as Martingale, Fibonacci, or Labouchere.
Change Your Life With Online Play
It’s what dreams are made of: a single bet that pays out a life-changing amount. And for the people above, that’s exactly what happened. Although the odds are small, it is possible, especially if you follow some of the proven strategies described here.
But don’t forget: whatever system you use to play, betting should be fun. Always gamble responsibly and you’ll enjoy the experience much more.