The desire to get rich quick and without effort is probably peculiar to each person. This human weakness is actively exploited by bookmakers, who make huge profits from sports betting. But in the history of gambling, there have been many situations where the one who made his bet was the winner. Some fans of football and other sporting events have achieved millionaire status in the blink of an eye. This article will tell you about the lucky ones who have managed to significantly improve their financial status thanks to betting.
Andrew Hayward is a football fan who in 2006 won £25,000 (around £2.5m) in a lucky dream. Andrian dreamt of a goal being scored against an opponent by one of Liverpool FC’s players from his own side of the pitch. Upon awakening, the man did not think long and placed a bet on the next Liverpool game with the bookmakers. It turned out to be a winning one. The big money was brought to Hayward by footballer Xabi Alonso, who scored a brilliant goal against Luton from 65 meters in the FA Cup fight in the 3rd round! By this point, the score between the teams was 4-3 in Liverpool’s favour, with Luton’s goalkeeper heading into a corner to equalise at the same time. But, things didn’t go according to his script.
Unexpected and fortunate cash winnings on bets have repeatedly managed to get football fans of the English club. For example, in the 2015-2016 season, Leicester FC won the league title. And with that title came enrichment for the team’s fans who placed their bets with bookmakers. According to statistics, Leicester’s win increased the fans’ budget by as much as 5,001 times! In the 2016-2017 season, Barcelona surprised their fans. Not only did their players beat PSG by 2 games in the Champions League, but they also multiplied their fans’ finances by a factor of 100.
Solid winnings have also occurred at national team level. For instance, Greek citizen won 600K USD in 2004 by placing 2 bets on Greek football team (one of them equaled 7300 USD before the start of the season, the second one – 14600 USD – before the semifinal match).
Another miracle happened in 2010. One player made a bet with a bookmaker on a draw in a match between Mali and Angola. The odds were 1,000 and the bet was £50. The bet settled, and in just 15 minutes the lucky player’s account received 50 thousand pounds (2.5 mln. rubles). Isn’t that a magic coincidence?
Peter Edwards. It is popular in Western countries to bet on the success of their children and grandchildren. For example, Liverpool player Harry Wilson’s grandfather, Peter Edwards, made a bet when his grandson was barely 3 years old. In 1999, he declared that his little grandson would be a Welsh national team player. His betting odds were 2,500. Amazingly, 14 years later, it… turned out to be a winning bet! Harry Wilson took to the pitch as a Liverpool national team player. It happened just three minutes before the end of the match against Belgium.
Mick Gibbs. Mick Gibbs placed an express bet on the outcome of 13 football matches, one rugby match and two cricket matches in 2001. The odds were a record not to be beaten to this day. The whole series of bets proved to be a winning one, with Gibbs’ final win coming from Bayern Munich player Linke, who struck the opponents’ goal with precision in a whole series of penalty kicks. Mick Gibbs’ win amounted to £833,000. The initial bet was only £0.5, which is equivalent to 50 roubles.
