The biggest sports betting payouts occur when you wager on the most unlikely outcome, so you have to have nerves of steel when you’re looking for a significant payday. If you’re feeling really lucky, consider placing wager on a long shot – and you could cash in on a prize worth millions. Always check for the most recent Vegas Odds to increase your chances of winning big.
For a little inspiration, here are some stories about the most impressive sports betting payouts in history.
Bookies Pay Out $26M for an Underdog
When the 2015-2016 Premier League season started, the odds of Leicester City winning the title were 1 in 5000. It looked so unlikely that bookmakers thought it was more probable for Simon Cowell to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom with odds of 500-to-1.
However, Leicester proved almost everyone wrong when they came in at the top above Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United. Only two people had enough faith to wager on the team early on in the season, betting in September when the odds dropped to 1500-to-1. They took home a total of $33000, and it was estimated that Leicester’s title cost the industry up to $26 million.
£165 000 Payout for Spotting Young Talent
In 1998, a man named Richard Hopkins discovered Lewis Hamilton at a go-kart track when he was just 13-years-old. He was so impressed by the youngster’s talent that he wagered just over £200 on Hamilton to win his first Formula One race by the time he turned 23. Then, he doubled – and tripled – down with a bet that Hamilton would become World Champion by age 25 and win the 2008 Brazil Grand Prix.
All in all, these three wagers netted Hopkins a huge £165000 payout. It is one of the biggest sports betting payouts ever, and it was all thanks to Hopkins’ keen eye for talent.
‘A Dream Come True’ on a 50c Wager
On Fred Craggs’ 60th birthday, he wanted to spend a day at the races, and make things a bit more interesting by placing a small bet just over 50 cents. He wagered on an eight-race accumulator, betting on horses with long odds and unusual names like A Dream Come True, Isn’t That Lucky and Racer Forever. The accumulator came with 2m-to-1 odds and turned Craggs into the luckiest horse betting punters ever. All eight horses placed first, and he ended up with a $1.3 million birthday present.
A Grandfather’s Love Rakes in $167 000
In October 2013, Harry Wilson was just 16-years-old when he joined the Wales football team. While he was the youngest player to ever represent Wales, Wilson actually got his start much, much earlier in life.
The day Wilson was born, his grandfather Peter Edwards was convinced that he would become an all-star football player. So, he marched down the nearest bookmaker and demanded the odds for his newborn grandson playing football for Wales. He was given odds of 2500-to-1 and, 16 years later, he earned a payout of $167000.
You may be able to join the ranks of these lucky punters by picking out some long shots that you think are worth betting on. If you go with your gut, you could cash in on an extraordinary pay day.
